It’s that time of year again! It’s only a guessing game as to which stars will end up in New York uniforms next spring, but there are sure to be changes for both the Bombers and the Amazin’s as free agent negotiations are set to begin. Here’s what to expect as we enter what appears to be another busy offseason in the Big Apple.

YANKEES:

After once calling the Yankees the “Evil Empire,” the Red Sox are sure taking a page out of the Yankees’ playbook, investing a whopping $51.1 million just to talk to highly-coveted Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. Normally it’s the Yankees who operate an offseason like this, but not this year. Brian Cashman is taking a different approach from his “Carl Pavano Paydays” and is not only targeting lower-tier free agents, but actually trimming the payroll. Starting with the trades of Gary Sheffield and Jaret Wright, Cashman appears committed to acquiring young pitching instead of aging former All-Stars. Rather than getting into a bidding war for starters Barry Zito or Jason Schmidt, it looks like Gil Meche, Randy Wolf and Jeff Suppan will all be targeted, so long as the market doesn’t inflate their contract demands.

As far as the offense, the Yankees look primed to keep A-Rod despite trade rumors following their abysmal playoff exit. With Jason Giambi looking more and more like a full-time DH, that leaves only first base open. The Bronx Bombers would like to sign Nomar Garciaparra or another right-handed bat, but he looks like he fully intends to finish his career in Los Angeles. The Yankees may just use Andy Phillips and stand pat in an offseason that doesn’t look like it will provide much change for a team coming off another playoff disappointment.

Then again, it looked like the case was very similar last year until the Yankees signed Johnny Damon away from the Red Sox. Stay tuned …

METS:

Omar Minaya and the New York Mets came second in the bidding for Matsuzaka, and with his services now off the market, they’ll turn their attention to another coveted starter, most likely Barry Zito. But just like the Yankees, the Mets are wary that he is not a No. 1 starter, and that he will be asking for a huge contract, using super-agent Scott Boras to do the talking for him. The Mets at least seem like a logical destination, since Zito would be reunited with former pitching coach Rick Peterson, and would benefit from a pitcher-friendly park and a switch to the lighter hitting National League lineups. But since they have already re-signed Orlando Hernandez and appear likely to re-up with Tom Glavine, the Mets may not think it’s necessary to spend an excessive amount on Zito. Instead, Minaya may trade from a surplus of young pitchers in the Mets’ minor league system (i.e. Brian Bannister, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Dave Williams) for either Freddy Garcia or Javier Vazquez, both rumored to be on the trading block by the White Sox.

Even though the Mets re-signed Jose Valentin, they still may look at Mark Loretta or Julio Lugo for second base. Left field still remains a question, and Minaya could go either cheap or pricey in that position. Lastings Milledge, a potential left field candidate, had an up-and-down rookie season, and I’m not just talking about his trip from Norfolk, Va., to Flushing. Rumors of a package deal of Milledge and Heilman for stud Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis have been talked about, but only by the Mets organization and its fans. Florida has said it wants a center fielder in any deal, should they decide to entertain trade offers for Willis at all. It doesn’t look like Milledge is the immediate answer for the Mets in left, but it also doesn’t look like the Mets want to splurge on Alfonso Soriano. So the Mets may explore the trade route or focus on pitching before they figure out who will man that spot.