NEW YORK -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the drawn-out Alex Rodriguez appeal hearing is impeding offseason plans because the team doesn't know whether the third baseman's 211-game suspension will be upheld.

"I think it complicates," Girardi said at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

Rodriguez's appeal of punishment for violating the joint drug agreement and the collective bargaining agreement resumes Nov. 18 in Manhattan. At that point, his side will begin its defense. Joe Tacopina, one of Rodriguez's lawyers, said the process will last at least five days.

If it doesn't conclude by the end of that week, then the two sides, along with arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, would have to figure out another date to convene. When the appeal does end, Horowitz is expected to decide within 25 days. So the Yankees will likely not find out until sometime in December, perhaps even later.

"It's important that we know," Girardi said. "Because if we're not going to have him, we need to fill that void. It does cause us to think a lot about, 'Do we need a third baseman or do we not need a third baseman?'

"Hopefully we'll know sooner rather than later."

Meanwhile, lawyers for both sides spent Thursday morning in a Manhattan courtroom for the first conference of Rodriguez's lawsuit against commissioner Bud Selig and MLB for what his side describes as a "witch hunt."

On Thursday morning, Girardi joined former teammate and current Yankees TV analyst David Cone in the Bronx as the team and the USO hosted approximately 150 volunteers to assemble 5,000 Big Apple Packs for active servicemen and servicewomen.

Joe Girardi said the Yankees' offseason plans remain in limbo while the team waits for an outcome regarding Alex Rodriguez's appeal of his 211-game suspension. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Although the Yankees are attempting to lower their payroll to $189 million to reduce their luxury-tax exposure, they have devised a plan that could see them spending in excess of $300 million. Sources have told ESPN New York that the Yankees' top priorities are re-signing Robinson Cano, winning the bidding for Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka and signing free-agent catcher Brian McCann.

The Yankees have offered Curtis Granderson a $14.1 million qualifying offer, which he has until Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline to accept. If he does not, the Yankees could be major players for Carlos Beltran. Shin-Soo Choo could also emerge as a possibility if the Yankees' initial plans do not work out.

The Yankees have money to spend because they have around $85 million to $90 million coming off their books from last season.

If Rodriguez's suspension is upheld, the Yankees would save $25 million in salary and a $6 million bonus he would likely reach by hitting six more homers to tie Willie Mays on the all-time list.

Girardi said he is not intimidated by having to challenge the world champion Boston Red Sox. He reasoned that if the Yankees -- who finished 85-77 -- had just won one more game per month, they would have made the playoffs in 2013. They finished above .500 despite using the most players in a season in franchise history.

Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Rodriguez and Granderson were among the players to suffer major injuries.