Despise the New York Yankees, do ya? Well get ready to hate them even more because they’re about to become every Yankee-hater’s worst nightmare this offseason. By the time they’re done making moves, the head of every non-Yankee fan across this great nation will be long blown off.

Think the Bronx Bombers were done after they signed CC Sabathia to a 30-year, $1 Gazillion contract last week? They’re not done – not even close. They’ve also got A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez on their radar and if it were possible to raise Ty Cobb, Cy Young and “Shoeless� Joe Jackson from their death beds, the Yankees would have already made bids on their services, too.

Here’s the thing, the Yankees missed the playoffs last year. They also haven’t won the American League East since 2006, a pennant since 2003 or a World Series since 2000. Simply put, that is unacceptable in the Bronx and with a new stadium ready to be opened next year, the new boss Hank Steinnbrenner wouldn’t dare fielding a loser in 2009.

The New York Post is reporting that the New York Yankees will pursue free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez and first basemen Mark Teixeira.

“If they can’t get Teixeira, they are right there on Manny,” an official with knowledge of the Yankees’ plan said yesterday.

The attention being paid to bolster the lineup that lost Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi doesn’t mean the Yankees are out of the pitching business. They remain engaged with Andy Pettitte, Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets. Eventually, the Yankees believe Pettitte will take their $10 million offer.

Only fools count out the Yankees when it comes to free agents. Nevertheless, Teixeira has eight-year offers for $160 million from the Angels and Nationals. The Red Sox are wary of eight years but aren’t shy of six for $150. Having already spent $243.5 million for CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the Yankees may not want to go that high (or for that many years) for Teixeira.

If they pass on Teixeira, the Yankees will try and bolster a sagging lineup with Ramirez, one of the greatest run producers in baseball history. And to clear some money, they might entertain offers for outfielder Xavier Nady, who made $3.35 million last year, is arbitration eligible and a free agent after the 2009 season.

I wouldn’t doubt the Yankees landing any top free agent, but I don’t think Teixeira will be playing in pinstripes next year. I think they entered the Teixeira-talks to drive up the price for Boston.

Manny, on the other hand, is a different story. I think he’s pissed that he wasn’t offered a contract yet and will jump at the chance to join the Evil Empire so he can stick it to teams – especially the Red Sox.

NBC Sports is reporting that Jake Peavy could be heading to the Chicago Cubs as part of a four-team trade.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the world champion Phillies are one of the additional teams. Philadelphia reportedly would receive utilityman Mark DeRosa from the Cubs for a pair of prospects, one of them possibly being lefthander J.A. Happ. The Cubs would then flip those prospects to the Padres as part of the package for Peavy. The Union-Tribune reported that the Padres would get DeRosa first, then flip him to the Phillies for the prospects. Either way, DeRosa would wind up in Philly as insurance for injured second baseman Chase Utley, and the Padres would get the prospects.

The Union-Tribune reported that the Baltimore Orioles also are involved in what Towers called the most complicated trade negotiation of his 14-year tenure as Padres GM. San Diego likely would obtain Orioles lefthander Garrett Olson for Cubs outfielder Felix Pie, after Pie is sent to the Orioles in the package for Peavy. Olson-for-Pie has long been rumored.

Cubs reliever Kevin Hart, another name frequently tied to the Peavy talks, might also be headed to San Diego. Righthanded starter Jason Marquis, whom the Cubs reportedly are shopping, is unlikely to be part of the deal.

Interesting enough, ESPN cites a source close to the situation that says the Cubs are nowhere close to dealing for Peavy:

First, the source said, the Cubs’ “No. 1 priority” is adding a left-handed-hitting outfielder, not a starting pitcher. And the team isn’t close to acquiring that bat. The Cubs have interest in a half-dozen outfielders who meet that description, with free agents Raul Ibanez and Bobby Abreu seemingly at the top of that list.

Second, the Cubs’ muddled ownership situation leaves Hendry and his baseball people unsure about whether they would be permitted to take on a contract as large as Peavy’s. The 27-year-old right-hander will make $11 million next season and has as much as $81 million remaining over the next five years if his team picks up his 2013 option.

Hmm. Are the Cubs just trying to protect themselves by not making the news public or are the Peavy-to-Chicago reports a fabrication?

Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes what we already know:

The Yanks can begin revealing that answer as today turns to Friday at 12:01 a.m. It has not been the Yanks’ history to brandish a theatric offer at one minute past midnight. Nevertheless, sometime tomorrow you can expect the Yankees aggressively will extend a proposal. It might not be their best and final, but Yankee insiders suggest it will be a number that says this to Sabathia: “Anything they can do we can do better – much, much better.”

One Yankee executive said, “we have to separate ourselves.” Translation: They must divest Sabathia of his dreams of the Pacific and the batter’s box by going to a financial region relatively quickly that no other franchise would even consider, especially in this plummeting economy.

That means a bid north of the six years at $137.5 million the Mets bestowed last year on Johan Santana . My gut says six years at $150 million sounds about right to force league-wide surrender before the bidding really even gets started.

Can anyone else go to that financial area? The Dodgers are probably Sabathia’s dream landing spot. But there continues to be doubt that L.A. owner Frank McCourt has either the money and/or the willingness to offer near that much.

Where Sabathia winds up will come down to money and whether or not he wants to hit every fifth day. So he’ll weigh the options and then head to the Yankees.

FOX Sports.com has 10 burning questions for baseball’s offseason.

5 Can Milwaukee hang on to CC Sabathia?
The Brewers are already facing the loss of Ben Sheets, so they’ll probably need to bring Sabathia back if they hope to win the tough NL Central. Obviously, the Brewers don’t have the resources to hang with the Yankees, Angels, Dodgers, and Red Sox should those teams enter the bidding. But Sabathia loves hitting, and he enjoyed his time in Milwaukee…

4 Where will Manny Ramirez wind up?
This past season, Manny Ramirez hit .332 AVG/.430 OBP/.601 SLG with 37 bombs. Obviously, that’s an elite level of production. On the other hand, Manny is 36 and an ongoing disaster in the outfield. He’s going to command a big contract, but it’s not certain how big and with whom. Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, is angling for a five- or six-year deal, but that’s probably not going to happen. The Dodgers will certainly push to bring him back, and the Blue Jays may be a surprise bidder…

3 How will the Yankees spend those dollars?
The Yankees’ 14-year playoff run came to an end, and that likely means a frantic winter in the Bronx. They’ve got a good bit of money coming off the payroll, and of course they’ll be moving into a palatial new ballpark next season. So expect them to spend with impunity. They’ll likely pass on their option on Jason Giambi, which means they could be in the mix for Mark Teixeira. They’ll certainly be angling for CC Sabathia, and they’ve also got decisions to make on Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte…

1 Who will be the Phillies’ GM next season?
Fresh off the third World Series title of his career, Phillies GM Pat Gillick may be bound for retirement (and, eventually, the Hall of Fame). If he goes, then in all likelihood the job will fall to either Ruben Amaro Jr. or Mike Arbuckle, two longtime Philly lieutenants. Or will Gillick have a change of heart and come back to defend his championship?…

I’ll go ahead and answer the above questions for FOX:

CC Sabathia to the Yankees.

Manny Ramirez to the Yankees.

Yankees will overspend the Yankees dollars.

The Yankees will be the Phillies’ GM next season.

It appears that Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday won’t be heading to the St. Louis Cardinals in the foreseeable future as a potential deal between the two clubs is dead.

Mozeliak did not discuss specifics of his talks with the Rockies. However, Cardinals right fielder Ryan Ludwick remained a central name within the talks until their apparent breakdown. Misgivings existed within some quarters of the organization about committing multiple players for Holliday, who is eligible for free agency after next season while the arbitration-eligible Ludwick will make considerably less than Holliday’s $13.5 million in 2009.

Fox Sports reported Friday that the Rockies also sought outfielder Skip Schumaker and righthander Mitchell Boggs, who currently ranks as the organization’s top starting pitcher at Class AAA.

Mozeliak did not disclose what caused a breakdown in talks, but a source familiar with the process said the Cardinals GM balked at the player package rather than salary concerns.

The source also indicated he believed it possible the parties could resurrect talks in upcoming weeks.

This will be the main issue regarding Holliday this offseason. The Rockies want to get fair value for their best hitter, but teams trying to acquire him don’t want to sell the farm because they know Holliday might be a goner after the year because his contract is up. Eventually the Rockies might have to settle for less, which is a shame considering Holliday’s immense talent.