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Looking Ahead

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 1:00 pm 6 Responses »
Nov 292010

We’re all focused on the present. The Yankees have a bunch of pending transactions. They’ve made an offer to Derek Jeter; they’ll probably do the same to Mariano Rivera and Cliff Lee shortly. I’m sure there are other signings and trades that the front office is mulling over right now, too. But what about next year? There are some interesting personnel decisions to be made in a year’s time. Let’s run down some of them.

The biggest one involves CC Sabathia. While his contract does run to 2015, CC does have an opt out clause he can use after the 2011 season. No matter what, I think CC is going to exercise this option. I can see him hanging on if he has a bad year just because his value will be a little down. However, if he has an average CC year, I think he’ll opt out. If he does, the Yankees could just let him walk, or try to renegotiate at a lower AAV. While he’s been nothing but reliable in his career, CC will be approaching his mid thirties. Maybe the Yankees will want to let someone else pay for Sabathia’s decline phase.

Jorge Posada’s four year deal is up after 2011. Hopefully, this one won’t be an issue. Jorge will ride off into the sunset (hopefully to a sunset in Cooperstown) and Jesus Montero (happy belated birthday, Jesus!) takes over. Whether or not he retires, though, I’d bet on 2011 being Jorge’s last year with the Yankees. The only way I see him coming back is if he really mashes the ball as a DH and Jesus Montero can handle catching 120+ times a year, letting Jorge DH full time.

After 2011, Robinson Cano has a $14MM club option with a $2MM buy out. This is going to be a tough one. Cano just had his best season and it’s unlikely for him to repeat it. He’s still the best second baseman in the A.L., though. Unless he just tanks or gets injured, I’m relatively sure the Yankees will pick up Robbie’s option.

Like Cano, Nick Swisher has an option for the 2012 season ($10.25MM) with a $1MM buy out. The OF FA class of 2012 doesn’t look particularly strong and Swisher’s got a skill set that should age well. He’s also gotten himself into very good shape and doesn’t have a body that is likely to break down. I’d bet on the Yankees picking up that relatively cheap option and keeping Nick on patrol in YSIII’s right field.

This isn’t worth discussing much, but let’s give it one sentence. Damaso Marte has a $4MM option for 2012 with a $0.25MM buyout; it will be bought out.

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Pitching Updates: Hughes, Marte, Aceves

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 1:00 pm 1 Response »
Sep 082010

Joe Girardi provided the Yankee beat writers with three little nuggets of news about Yankee pitchers this morning. Mark Feinsand has the scoop:

Phil Hughes will be skipped one start in the Yankees rotation to limit his innings, Joe Girardi said before Wednesday’s series finale against Baltimore. Dustin Moseley will start Sunday in Texas, and Hughes will return to the rotation next Wednesday in Tampa.

Also, Girardi said Alfredo Aceves (back) will not return this season, and Damaso Marte (shoulder) will “probably not” be back in 2010.

The news on Hughes has been a long time coming. He has thrown more innings this season than ever before in his career, and the baseline high that the Yankees seem to be using comes from 2006. He has already thrown 50 or so more innings than he did in any of the previous three seasons. Whether due to a tired arm or something else, Phil’s stuff seems to have suffered over the last few weeks, with his fastball command lacking and his cutter having little bite. Giving him 10 days off to rest his arm is a prudent move, as the Yankees will need Phil to give their rotation some depth in the postseason. Interestingly enough, as @dturkenk noted on Twitter, this also prevents Texas from seeing any of the 3 starters they would likely face if the two clubs met in the ALDS, as Vazquez, Burnett, and Moseley are now lined up to pitch over the weekend.

As for the loss of Marte and Aceves for the season, the emergence of Boone Logan and the acquisition of Kerry Wood soften what might have seemed like a devastating blow in May or June. Even if both players were healthy, neither was likely to pass the key relievers currently on the roster in Joe Girardi’s pecking order in time for the postseason anyhow, and would have been relegated to “last man in the bullpen” status. As surprising as this is to say, their injuries turned out to be no big deal.

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Remaking the Yankee bullpen

Posted by Steve S. at 6:00 am 20 Responses »
Jul 192010

Can Robertson emerge from the darkness to save the bullpen?

If there’s one area of concern on the 2010 Yankees it’s been the bullpen, despite yesterday’s fine effort. More specifically, the problem has been the bridge to Mariano Rivera, who at age 40 is remarkably having one of his best seasons. I’ll go through the issues one by one and then propose some changes, all internal and none of which involve a trade. I’m not big on giving up talent for relievers due to their volatile nature and the learning curve involved with how to use them. Might as well just go with internal options that you are more familiar with and see if they can do the job.

-Joba Chamberlain has been put on notice by Joe Girardi, but unless he starts dominating (ala  Joba 07) it’s hard to imagine him being able to doing anything to regain the trust of fans and his manager. We all know his peripherals have been good, but he’s been far too combustible in his current role. You can’t bring Mo in for 6 out Saves on nights when Joba doesn’t have it, so it’s best to either bury him in the bullpen or send him to AAA. I prefer the latter. There has long been whispers about Joba needing a wake up call, riding the buses in Scranton would certainly be that.

-Damaso Marte was placed on DL with a shoulder strain on Saturday, and Boone Logan was called up. Does that injury sound familiar? Yep, he had what was described as a mild shoulder strain in his first year with the Yankees, then again last year when he spent m0st of the season on the DL. It’s anyone’s guess how serious it is this time, but all we can say for certain that it is a recurring issue for him. Yanks are saying 2-3 weeks, don’t hold your breath.

-David Robertson is being discussed taking over Joba’s role as the primary setup man. While his overall numbers don’t look great, he’s been reliable since his ERA peaked at an ugly 14.21 early in the season. Since May 5th, over his last 22 outings he’s had a 2.70 ERA and has  SO 27 batters in 24.1 IP. Walks have been high, with 15 BB over that same time frame. But he’s always walked batters, it’s part of who he is. That doesn’t preclude him from being effective.

-Sergio Mitre is due to be activated from the DL, and is expected to join the team on Tuesday for the Angels series. I have to assume he takes Pettitte’s place and slots into his spot in the rotation with Andy on the shelf for 2-3 weeks minimum.

-Andy’s injury probably saved Chad Gaudin’s spot on the roster, who was one of the most likely candidates to be released when Mitre was activated. Chad has done little in his second go round with the Yanks, posting a 6.52 ERA this year. But looking at Gaudin’s game log he’s been better of late,  giving up just 4 ER over his last 13.1 IP. Despite this, I think the Yanks will want to give Dustin Moseley more of a chance and Gaudin remains the one on thin ice. Moseley has only pitched 6.0 innings for the team this year and could be useful as a Ramiro Mendoza-type who can either get you a ground ball or give you a few innings.

Now that we’ve laid it all out, I would do the following to remake the current bullpen:

-Release Chad Gaudin when Pettitte returns

-Release Chan Ho Park, call up Jon Albaladejo to take his place.

-Demote Joba to AAA call up Ivan Nova

The beauty of this is that the guys you’re calling up can’t be much worse than Park, Gaudin, or (in all honesty) Joba have been this year. If any of them pitches to an ERA below 6.00, it’s an upgrade. Of these 3 items, I fully expect the first two to happen. Demoting Joba would take some guts, and the Yanks may be swayed by his peripherals enough to stick with him. Assuming Joba pitches well in Scranton, he would be recalled when their season ends in early September (if not sooner) and could still contribute to the MLB club this year.

The Yankee bullpen would then be as follows:

Mariano Rivera (Closer)

David Robertson (Set up)

Damaso Marte/Boone Logan (LOOGY)

Sergio Mitre

Jon Albaladejo

Ivan Nova

Dustin Moseley (long man)

What do you think? What moves would you like to see the Yanks make?

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Grading the Yankees

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 2 Responses »
Jul 162010

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News ran a piece today in which he graded the Yankees. I’m going to tell you which ones I agree and disagree with.

Let’s just get the ones I agree with out of the way. I agree with Mo’s, Andy’s, Gardner’s, CC’s, Marte’s, Rodriguez’s, Thames’s, Vazquez’s, Burnett’s, Tex’s, Robertson’s, and Joba’s. I agree with the first four because they’re having great seasons. With Gardner, he’s exceeding expectations. Marte’s doing his job, as is Thames; A-Rod is doing okay considering his possibly health scenario, but he could be better, the same goes for Tex even with a recent hot streak. Burnett and Javy have been up and down, as have Robertson and Joba. Lastly, I agree with Derek Jeter. I was going to knock him down a bit ’cause of his lack of hitting–it’d be nice to see more patience and power–but his fielding has stayed hot. Anyway, onto the fun part: the disagreements.

I disagree with Phil Hughes’ ranking of an A-. He started off hot, but has cooled off a bit. Plus, his general lack of mixing pitches knocks him down to a B in my eyes. He’s doing well, but we need to recognize his flaws, too.

Cano and Swisher should both get A’s. Cano hit out of his mind for most of the first half and Nick Swisher’s commitment to improving himself as a batter should get him kudos. There’s chance for both of them to drop back down a bit in the second half, but they’re both talented enough to compensate.

I’m bumping Jorge up to a B. He’s hit quite well, but he has had injuries. Maybe I should keep him at a B-. But, it’s worth noting that among catchers with at least 100 PA in the AL, Posada’s .369 wOBA ranks second in the league to uber-rookie Carlos Santana’s .428 mark.

I include Nick Johnson, Sergio Mitre, and Alfredo Aceves in the “incomplete” category. Moving on…

I think Francisco Cervelli should be busted down to a C+. I’ll give him credit for his hot streak and for playing more than he’d been expected to, but he hasn’t hit for almost two months and his defense hasn’t been as great as it was last year.

Ramiro Pena is a C at best. His fielding has been okay, but his hitting is just non existent.

Curtis Granderson’s C- is harsh, so I’ll give him a C. The results haven’t been what I’d wanted, but I think that injury really tripped him up. I’ll be an easy grader for this one.

Chad Gaudin needs a D. He’s done barely anything useful this season.

And, wrapping it up, Chan Ho Park should be the lone “F” on the team. He’s really been a sunken cost this year.

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Lefties and the bullpen

Posted by Chris H. at 8:51 pm 1 Response »
Jun 212010

Currently, the Yankee bullpen boasts a 4.15 FIP and a 4.35 xFIP. When compared across the two leagues, both numbers are fairly average, however, it should be noted that each figure is somewhat illusory. In reality, Joba Chamberlain – 2.25 FIP and 3.15 xFIP – and Mariano Rivera – 2.79 FIP and 3.46 FIP – have helped to bring the Yankees’ collective FIP and xFIP down, as no other reliever on the staff can claim an FIP lower than 4.28 or an xFIP lower than 4.03 (most of them have FIPs closer to 5, with xFIPs well over). The numbers have been evident on the field, too, as the bullpen has repeatedly faltered.

One of the Yankees bigger ‘pen problems has been their left-handed relief. Damaso Marte owns an ERA of 3.65, yet his BABIP is .214 (.289 career). Plus, his FIP and xFIP are 5.16 and 6.43. Meanwhile, Boone “Freakin” Logan (he has earned that name) currently sports a 4.20 ERA, yet he owns a 4.66 FIP and a 5.07 xFIP. Basically, though the numbers these two have put up against lefties have not been particularly poor, there doesn’t appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as both are performing over their heads. Neither left-hander really inspires much confidence and the numbers suggest that this is understandable.

So, what should the Yankees do to better this aspect of their bullpen? After all, it is an area that manager Joe Girardi seems to care about a great deal. Should they seek a trade? Matt Thornton of the White Sox could very well be available (he is probably one of, if not the best, left-handed relievers in the American League). Or perhaps the club should consider its internal options at the minor league level? Royce Ring is currently doing very well in Scranton – 1.50 ERA over 24 innings – though his FIP against left-handers is 4.76. There is also a guy named Kei Igawa down there who, despite a 5.45 ERA over 33 innings pitched, has posted an impressive 1.98 FIP against left-handers this season (albeit across only 11 innings).

Neither of these ideas – trades or internal options outside of Marte and Logan – seem to be guaranteed improvements over what the Yankees currently have, however. Therefore, might it be best to try and “fix” Marte and Logan – mechanically, mentally, whatever – in the hopes that they can beat the numbers and perform better than the stats suggest going forward? To be honest, I don’t know what the correct route is.

What do you think should be done?

Photo by Getty Images

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Damaso Marte's inherited runners

Posted by Steve S. at 7:56 am 2 Responses »
May 152010

Marte's in, start the merry-go-round

Going into last night’s game, a quick glance at Damaso Marte’s numbers would make most fans think he was having a reasonably good year for a Lefty specialist. 7 IP, 3.86 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. But fans who watch the games closely and remember his contributions will have a different impression of those same outings. A relievers job is to get outs and strand runners on base. Marte had 7 Inherited Runners going into last night’s game, 3 of whom have come around to score. By contrast, last year he inherited 21 runners, only 3 scored for the entire season. Last night he came into the game with Denard Span on 2nd base and allowed him to score on a Mauer single. Mauer’s a great player, no real shame in that. He then allowed his own runner to score on a double by Morneau. Morneau’s a terrific player too, but you have to get somebody out. So for the 2010 season, he has now entered games with 8 inherited runners, half of whom have scored, which needless to say is abysmal.

That’s why some fans have been calling for either his head, or for his leash to be much, much shorter. That being said, I really didn’t disagree with Girardi’s moves last night. The Twins lineup is very Lefty-heavy in the middle of the order, after the M&M boys you have the dangerous Jason Kubel batting 6th. I’m also not all that excited at the prospect of seeing Boone Logan, who hasn’t been much better (1.74 WHIP). Damaso job is to get those batters out, and he simply hasn’t been doing it.

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It's Not Overmanaging, It's Just Managing

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 1:00 pm 15 Responses »
Apr 072010


When Joe Girardi removed David Robertson for Damaso Marte after just one batter during last night’s contest, the cries of “overmanaging” that first surfaced early last season and peaked during the playoffs began to emanate from the Yankee faithful. As I noted on Twitter, I hate that reaction in part because it is often espoused in situations where the move is perfectly logical, and in part because it is generally stated while solely considering the game at hand, rather than in the context of an entire season. There are various reasons for a manager making a move that some fans might see as overmanaging but is actually simply good managing:

1) Platoon advantage: While Joe may make pitching changes to obtain the platoon advantage a bit too often, it is hard to argue with the thinking behind a move such as the one he made last night. He was poised to use Robertson against Ortiz IF he retired Youkilis, meaning Robertson was effectively going to serve as the 8th inning man unless Youkilis got on base. When Youkilis reached, a situation tailor-made for Marte presented itself. Ortiz has awful numbers against Damaso, and Joba was available to finish the inning. Obtaining the platoon advantage when you have a bullpen that can provide plenty of innings is not overmanaging. It is simply managing.

2) Determining roles: Girardi needs to begin sorting his relievers by figuring out a pecking order so that he can most efficiently utilize his bullpen. Rather than establish a hierarchy out of the gate and then have months pass before certain pitchers pitch in high-pressure situations, Joe is throwing everyone into the fire right away, and will likely continue doing so for much of April. While this process may cost the Yankees a game or two along the way, it is almost certain to provide long term dividends.

3) Keeping everyone involved: The Yankees play a very choppy early schedule, with 3 off days interspersed among the first 7 games. By utilizing all of his relievers in short stints, Joe is helping keep everyone involved and fresh. It would simply be poor managing to leave a number of relievers on the bench during this span and have them be ice cold when you need them later this month. Only long-man Sergio Mitre has yet to make an appearance, and a number of relievers have appeared in both games.

4) Spreading the workload: A related point is that Joe tends to try and spread the pitching workload among all of his relievers, rather than just ride a hot hand. It is for this reason that, in the past, you might have seen a guy like Brian Bruney pitching in a spot that made you a bit uncomfortable, or Phil Coke pitching in a spot where Phil Hughes belonged. While Robertson can obviously handle a greater workload than he has been given over the last two games, his usage makes sense in the context of the other factors listed here.

The fact of the matter is, at the end of the season we will likely look back, as we have at the end of the last two years, and note that Girardi did an excellent job managing the bullpen, utilizing his best arms in the most important situations and keeping everybody involved and healthy. As THCM states in this comment, we have gone through this before. Joe may make the occasional mistake and overmanage a bit at times, but for the most part, it seems that he has a defined plan regarding his bullpen that results in its optimization over the long season. It is time to stop the “overmanaging” calls each time Joe trots out of the dugout.

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What to Watch for from Each Yankee

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 1 Response »
Apr 042010

Opening Night is finally here. Since the end of Game Six, we’ve waited for this moment. Our desire to see real baseball has only grown during the offseason in light of new arrivals. Now, every player will once again look to prove just how good he is and try to carry his team to a championship. Whether or not it’s true, every team gets to think “This is our year!” at some point in the next day or two. While we may know better, it’s nice to be un-jaded for a second and truly believe that each team has a shot to contend this year.

All throughout the year, we’ll be watching our favorite team and our favorite players and looking for them to dazzle us with their talents and efforts. Each player brings something different to the field and contributes in some different way.

Using the 25 man roster, I’m going to write–as I did for the other 29 teams–what to watch from from certain players.

Jorge Posada: Can he keep it up? He’s been one of the best hitting catchers in the league, but he is getting old. In the second to last year of his contract, can Jorge maintain productivity and stay healthy for the entire season?

Francisco Cervelli: Let’s see if he can maintain the backup catcher’s role for a whole season. I see no reason why he won’t be able to. All he has to do is hit and field like he did in ’09 and the job is his.

Mark Teixeira: Another April, another slow start? Tex got off to a slow start in 2009, and has traditionally been a slow starter. Will this continue in 2010? I’m sure it will, just because that’s how Tex seems to be, but maybe the fact that A-Rod is behind him for April 2010 helps him start a little faster.

Robinson Cano: Batting fifth. The Yankees are showing a good deal of faith by putting Cano behind Alex Rodriguez to start the year, and I think it’s going to work out quite well. Cano’s a fantastic hitter and with guys like Nick Johnson, Tex, and Rodriguez on base in front of him, Cano could drive in 100 runs. If the move doesn’t work, someone else–Posada, Swisher, Granderson–would be able to easily slide in to the fifth spot and the team likely wouldn’t miss a beat.

Alex Rodriguez: In a word: milestones. Rodriguez is coming up on 600 homers, 1,800 RBI, 100 WAR, and hopefully, a 14th season of at least 30 homers and 100 RBI. Since he’ll be playing a whole season, I fully expect him to hit all of these marks in 2010.

Derek Jeter: We know the Captain can hit, he rebounded nicely in 2009 after a “meh” 2008, but now it appears he can field. His defense has been getting better each year so we’ll have to see if that trend continues. Just using the “eye test” in 2009, it seemed that Jeets’ movement to his left was much improved but going to his right was still a bit of an issue. Jeter is never satisfied with being “good enough”, though, and I’m sure he expects even more improvement out of himself.

Nick Johnson: Johnson’s return to the Yankees–and the two hole in the lineup–is something I’m quite excited for. His on base ability in front of Tex and A-Rod should lead to tons of RBI for the both of them. Of course, we’ll have to see if Nick can stay healthy. Like Hideki Matsui in 2009, maybe staying off the field is the best thing for him. No matter what, though, I’m glad to have Nick’s patience in the 2010 lineup. His power should return, too, considering his ultra-low HR/FB rate last season and his return to a lefty-friendly ballpark.

Brett Gardner: Gardner can definitely field but I’m not sure if his bat will be able to stick in the lineup for an entire year. As in 2009, Gardner’s getting a starting job out of the gate. Last year, he gave it up to Melky Cabrera rather quickly. Let’s see if he can hold down the fort in 2010. If he can, his plus defense in left could make him 2010′s Nyjer Morgan.

Curtis Granderson: There are two things to look out for with Curtis: how he handles lefties and how he’ll hit in his new home. With the former, even if Granderson improves just a little bit against the southpaws, his value will rise. He’s looked okay in Spring Training when there’s been a lefty on the hill, but let’s see him do it against the real thing first. As for the latter, Granderson should definitely see an improvement once starting to play in YSIII. He could definitely add a few homers that were lost in spacious Comerica Park this season.

Nick Swisher: Like C-Grand (100 Grand, perhaps?), we’ll have to pay attention to how Nick does at home in 2010. The raw numbers there weren’t great–.226/.384/.394/.776–but the peripherals were all there: .158 IsoD, .168 IsoP. Hopefully, the raw numbers catch up to the peripherals for Nick in 2010. If they do, he could hit 30+ homers.

Randy Winn: As the fourth outfield, all I’m looking for Winn to do is adequately replace Melky Cabrera. I’m pretty certain he can do that. What Winn must do is be league average with the bat and play steady defense on the corners while not embarrassing himself in center field. Winn isn’t likely to get much playing time, but a solid fourth outfielder is never a bad thing to have.

Marcus Thames: He made the team on a minor league deal, now let’s see how long he can stay on it. Being 100% honest, I don’t expect Thames to stick with the Yankees for all of 2010. But, if he does his job–hit lefties off of the bench–he could surprise us all. I won’t hold my breath, though.

Ramiro Pena: Like Thames, I don’t expect Pena to stick with the team for all of 2010. There’s no doubting the kid can pick it in the infield, but last year (.699 OPS) was a career year for him at the plate that he’s unlikely to repeat. I’m not saying he’s going to crash and burn, but I think the team will want to look at Kevin Russo at some point.

This is running quite long, so I’m going to do the pitchers in “bulk.”

CC: Just be CC
A.J./Andy: Stay healthy and repeat 2010.
Javy: Show us the real Javy.
Phil: Stay healthy and show us the fruits of your potential.
Mo: Just be Mo.
Joba: Make the best of a bad situation and hope you get a chance to start again.
Robertson: Keep up the k’s, kid. Chicks dig the curveball.
Marte: Stay healthy and be the real Marte.
Aceves: Repeat 2009; it was perfect for you.
Park: Can he adjust to the AL (B)East?
Mitre: Prove me wrong about you.

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Opener Items: Marte, Posada, Johnson, Thames, and more

Posted by Chris H. at 11:01 am 1 Response »
Apr 042010

Here are a few quick items regarding the team’s roster:

  • Damaso Marte’s shoulder is feeling better after being described as “cranky” earlier in the week.
  • By playing yesterday, Jorge Posada proved his neck is fine and should not be an issue going forward.
  • Nick Johnson, who is now two days removed from fouling a ball off of his right knee, will play tonight.
  • In case you haven’t noticed, the Yankees have chosen to keep Marcus Thames despite his poor spring.
  • Others were not as fortunate as Thames, however, as catcher Mike Rivera was released yesterday.
  • As one goes, another returns—the Yankees have signed Chad Moeller to backup Jesus Montero.

And here are a few more general items on the morning:

  • CC Sabathia doesn’t seem to be too nervous about starting in tonight’s game against Boston.
  • Yesterday, Derek Jeter recalled the shoulder injury he suffered back in 2003, on Opening Day.
  • ESPN has hired Curt Schilling. As an analyst, he’ll do some radio, web, and TV work for them.

I know you can’t wait to see him on Baseball Tonight…

Photo by Reuters Pictures

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Examining the Bullpen Roles

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 1:00 pm 12 Responses »
Mar 192010

Yankee Stadium Bullpen

Putting together a truly complete pitching staff is a hard thing to do for any major league team, even the Yankees. Hell, getting five men together to form a rotation is hard enough. Luckily, the Yankees seem to have more than five guys who could be in a rotation. In fact, the Yankees’ fifth best and sixth best starters might be the third or fourth best starters on other teams.

Of course, I’m talking about Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. The one who doesn’t fill the fifth starter role will likely be in the bullpen (even if I don’t want it to happen, but I’m assuming my “wish” won’t come true). It’s safe to assume that the non-starter will be the last brick in the “Bridge to Mowhere”, and be the designated-eighth-inning-set-up-whatever man.

That leaves five more roles to be filled in the bullpen (assuming a 12 man pitching staff and a 13 man “lineup”). Who will fill what roles? Let’s discuss, shall we?

Long Men/Spot Starters:
There are legitimately three guys who could fill this role, and if you wanna get frisky, four (Jophil Chamberhughes could do long relief to get more innings. Wouldn’t that be a mind blower?). The three are Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre, and Chad Gaudin. Something tells me that the Yankees won’t keep all three of these guys around. Aceves’ spot is basically guaranteed. So, that leaves Gaudin and Mitre. The latter has pitched relatively well in Spring Training but it’s unlikely he can succeed in the bullpen. Maybe Mitre is better than he showed in 2009, but I have a feeling that his time with the Yankees is running thin. Chad Gaudin’s ability to occasionally miss bats may play better in relief. Of course, this means Sergio Mitre would be exposed. He’s out of options and, despite my doubts, he’d likely be claimed on waivers. Perhaps, though, the Yankees could work out a trade with some team (probably an NL one).

Now we’ve got 9 pitching spots filled (five starters, Chamberhughes, Ace, Gaudin) so that leaves three more, and the choices are obvious.

The lefty will be Damaso Marte. He appears to be fully healthy and ready to contribute as the great lefty reliever the Yankees thought they were getting in 2008. I’m not saying he’s going to be as lights out as he as in the ALCS and WS, but he’ll be a lot closer to the 130 ERA+ guy he’s been for his career than he will be to the mediocre pitcher he’s been in his time with the Yankees.

Chan Ho Park is another guy who could pitch multiple innings/spot starts out of the bullpen, but could also do well in a one-inning reliever role. The latter role is likely what he’s going to do, though he and Chad Gaudin could flip places and no one would really notice.

Lastly, we come to my favorite Yankee reliever (non-Mo division): David Robertson. I absolutely love this kid. Maybe I’m way too high on him, but I think this dude is certainly the real deal. His two pitch combo is absolutely perfect for a short reliever and it doesn’t hurt that his curveball is just devastating. While everyone thinks that either Chamberlain or Hughes should be “groomed” as the “heir” to Mariano, I think it’s Robertson who should be getting that treatment. I’ll re-state it: I’m really high on this guy and we obviously need to see him keep it up for a full season, but I think this is one guy in whom we can believe.

So, that’s it, 12 men to lead the Yankees on the mound. Here they are, listed by (my projected) role:
SP1: CC Sabathia
SP2: A.J. Burnett
SP3: Andy Pettitte
SP4: Javier Vazquez
SP5: Jophil Chamberhughes

LRP: Alfredo Aceves
LRP: Chad Gaudin

MRP: Chan Ho Park
MRP: David Robertson

LOOGY: Damaso Marte

SU: Jophil Chamberhughes

CL: Mariano Rivera

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