After disappointing seasons for the Mets and Yankees in 2008, they are breaking out their wallets big-time in this year’s offseason.

For the second year in a row the New York Mets blew a late-September lead to the Phillies because of one of the worst bullpens in baseball history. The New York Yankees never really got on track last season in what is arguably baseballs’ toughest division. Both of these teams have the advantage of holding the top two payrolls in baseball, so all signs led to a huge offseason for both teams.

New York Yankees: On Dec. 11, the Yankees signed left-hander CC Sabathia to the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history — seven years, $161 million. There were many reports that CC wanted to pitch close to his home on the West Coast, but ultimately it was impossible for him to turn down that kind of money. The Yankees followed that move by signing pitcher A.J. Burnett to a five-year, $82.5 million deal. Even if you disregard the fact that the Yankees are not close to done yet with offseason signings, they are an extremely dangerous team for next season.

With the rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Burnett and Chamberlain, they can go as deep as any in the American League. One thing the Yankees have to be careful of is staying healthy. With Burnett being very injury-prone, the pitching staff will have to stay healthy in order to contend. Last season the Yankees hitters had an off year, but with all of the steady bats in the lineup to go along with the sensational pitching staff, the Yankees are a serious contender to win the 2009 American League pennant.

New York Mets: After watching another monumental collapse last season, general manager Omar Minaya knew he had to address the bullpen situation and he did in a big way. The Mets signed Francisco Rodriguez, regarded by many as the best closer on the market, at a bargain price. K-Rod will serve as a consistent stopper for manager Jerry Manuel to go with night in and night out in the ninth inning. Right after signing K-Rod the Mets traded for Seattle closer J.J. Putz, while giving up Endy Chavez, Aaron Heilman and Joe Smith.

The Mets will utilize Putz a former closer, as the set-up man for K-Rod. Unlike the Yankees, the Mets still have a ways to go this offseason. Along with hitting, they also need to target some starting pitchers for the back of their rotation. They need help for starters Johan Santana, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey. Targeting a pitcher along the lines of Ben Sheets would be a great move for the team. If they can make some more moves, and manager Jerry Manuel can learn how to be productive in a huge market, the Mets will finally be able to break away from the Phillies in 2009.