On Left Side of Yankees" Infield, Not Much to Stand On LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - For nine years they were next-door neighbors on the same stretch of real estate: five years on the left side of the infield at the old Yankee Stadium, four at the new. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez started 1,048 games together at shortstop and third base, the highest total for any teammates at those two positions since Bill Russell and Ron Cey started 1,249 for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1972 to 1982, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. But beginning last season, when injuries limited Jeter and Rodriguez to seven starts together in the field, their reliable side of the infield began to crack and crumble, ushering in a period of doubt and transition. Whether they will ever play next to each other again remains unclear, and if they do, it will not be for much longer. "It's difficult," Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees" managing general partner, said regarding the uncertain status of both Jeter and Rodriguez with the 2014 season approaching. Obviously, it's difficult. What makes it especially challenging for the Yankees is that they do not know if Jeter and Rodriguez will be able to play in 120 games at their usual positions next season, or 50 games, or none at all. Rodriguez is facing the threat of a record 211-game suspension in connection with Major League Baseball's investigation of the Biogenesis anti-aging clinic, which is suspected of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. He is appealing the ban, but the educated guess is that it will be at least partly upheld and that Rodriguez, 38 and playing with two surgically repaired hips, could miss much or all of 2014. But the Yankees will not know for certain until January, when the arbitrator in the case is likely to rule. So for now, the Yankees are not sure if they will need a new everyday third baseman, and if they do, how much money they will save by not having to pay Rodriguez some or all of his $25 million salary next year. Jeter is coming off a serious ankle injury that limited him to 17 games in 2013, and he will be attempting to re-establish himself as an everyday player at 39 and 40 (his birthday is June 26) while occupying the most demanding position on the field other than catcher. No matter how confident people are that Jeter is the person to pull it off, the Yankees will not have much of an inkling of whether he can do it until exhibition games begin in Florida. "Nobody is going to work harder than him to get back; we know that," Steinbrenner said. But we won't know until spring training. There is expert defensive help behind Jeter in Brendan Ryan, but he does not hit much. If Jeter cannot consistently stay on the field anymore, the Yankees will probably have to find another option not currently on the roster. All of this leaves General Manager Brian Cashman in a bind, complicated by the fact that Robinson Cano has left to join the Seattle Mariners, leaving Cashman unclear as to who his second baseman is. Should Cashman pursue front-line players who will play the bulk of the innings at third and short in anticipation that Rodriguez, Jeter or both will not be available to, or should he just get backups to fill in? "I don't know who's playing second," Cashman acknowledged. I still don't know who's playing third yet. There's going to be a question mark at shortstop, even though we know who the player is. But sooner or later, and maybe in a matter of days, Cashman will come up with a solution at second base. He has to, since there is longer an incumbent. Shortstop and third base, however, are uncertain. Jeter is an immensely proud veteran, the team captain, and not likely to welcome being nudged aside at short. Rodriguez is a walking mystery, a riddle in pinstripes. John Hart, a former general manager for Cleveland and Texas and now an analyst on MLB TV, said that Cashman was confronted with an unusual challenge and that the only similar situation Hart could recall involved - who else? - Rodriguez. In the winter between the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Rangers were trying to unload Rodriguez, who was then still playing under his original 10-year, $250 million contract. The money owed Rodriguez made it almost impossible to make a trade. First, Hart tried sending him to Boston. When that did not work, Hart finally shipped him to the Yankees, but not until Feb. 16, just as spring training was beginning. "Brian Cashman is juggling a lot of balls right now, and it's a very uncomfortable situation," Hart said. There's no closure yet with Alex, and how do you know what you're getting with Derek? Another former general manager, Steve Phillips, who was with the Mets when Rodriguez joined the Yankees, had a simple solution for Cashman. "Sign Juan Uribe," he said. The 34-year-old Uribe can play short, third and second, which would be the perfect fit but would most likely cost too much money for a Yankee team trying to keep its 2014 payroll under the $189 million luxury tax threshold. The Yankees have also offered a three-year deal worth roughly $24 million to Omar Infante to play second base, but he is said to be seeking a four-year deal, and may get it with Kansas City. The 31-year-old Infante has mostly played second in his 12-year career, but has also played 225 games at short and 107 at third. His versatility might ease Cashman's agita. The Yankees also talked about a trade for Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati's standout second baseman, but would not deal Brett Gardner straight up for him because Phillips is owed $50 million - too much for the Yankees - over the next four seasons. According to a person who spoke directly to Cashman during the just-concluded winter meetings, the uncertain landscape at short and third is leading him toward adding one or more backup players, like Eric Chavez and Michael Young (the player Hart switched to short when he traded Rodriguez), both of whom could play third base, or Mark Reynolds, who can play third and first. But those players are not solutions at shortstop. Cashman has already signed a multitask player, Kelly Johnson, who can play second base or third. So maybe he will be asked to do both. "It's a really tough situation," said Jim Bowden, another former general manager. I've never seen anything like it, and I wouldn't know where to even start to address it.