The New York Yankees wasted little time in signing two of the most expensive free-agent pitchers on the market this winter.

Inking CC Sabathia to a $161 million contract gave the Yankees a stud at the top of their rebuilt rotation, which was a weakness in 2008 and was further depleted by Mike Mussina’s recent retirement. Then the Yankees threw $82.5 million at A.J. Burnett, who has great stuff but has battled injuries and has never had a Cy Young-type season. Maybe he’ll finally have the kind of year that would justify the big paycheck, but he’s pitching in New York now.

Whether it be injury, bad decision-making by the Yankees or the pressure of the big city, moving to New York hasn’t been a smart choice for the likes of Ed Whitson, Bob Shirley, Hideki Irabu, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa, to name a few. It would appear that Sabathia won’t find pitching in New York troubling, but it’ll be interesting to see how Burnett, the oft-injured right-hander, fares in the Bronx.

The price for this offseason’s acquisitions was steep -- the Yankees will pay Sabathia and Burnett an annual salary in the neighborhood of $40 million combined -- but that doesn’t mean they are done spending. Burnett’s signature has yet to be secured, as the team awaits results of his physical, but there are reports that GM Brian Cashman has turned his attention to free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The 28-year-old switch-hitter, who has delivered at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of the last five seasons, will get one of the biggest offseason payoffs for a position player and reportedly has been offered deals for as many as eight years. Teixeira has been the prime target of the Boston Red Sox, leaving baseball fans to wonder if the Yankees are prepared to spend even more or are mostly messing with their division rival.

Even after trading for Nick Swisher and his multiyear contract in November, could the Yankees possibly have it in their budget to sign Teixeira or Manny Ramirez? It may come as a surprise, but according to Bryan Hoch of mlb.com, the Yankees still have not exceeded their 2008 payroll by adding Swisher, Sabathia and Burnett. It didn’t matter that New York may have offered Sabathia as much as $61 million more than any other club, as Hoch states that “the Yankees are still operating within the approximately $86 million they shed from '08 in Mike Mussina, (Jason) Giambi, Carl Pavano, Bobby Abreu, Ivan Rodriguez and more.”

Much of the money shed from last year’s payroll was poorly spent, but the Yankees won’t be shy committing most or all of those millions to new acquisitions. Reportedly they are close to adding Mike Cameron and his $10 million salary in a trade that would send youngster Melky Cabrera to Milwaukee. Igawa and Milwaukee’s Bill Hall, who would serve as an expensive utilityman for New York, may also be moved in the deal. At the same, Cashman is believed to be making a last-ditch effort to get Andy Pettitte to re-up for roughly $10 million for 2009.

Seeing the Yankees jump at another of the top players on the market may seem far-fetched, but Hoch suggests the money is there. Suddenly the New York rotation of Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, Burnett and Joba Chamberlain looks much better -- at least on paper -- but the fate of the 2008 Yankees is a reminder that money spent and what looks good on paper doesn’t count for a thing when the games begin.