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
Yesterday in the comments of Chris’s article on Brian Cashman and Kei Igawa, a discussion about whom the Yankees have traded in the past two seasons started. I’m of the opinion that with a few exceptions, the players Brian Cashman has traded have been nothing incredibly special and losing them will not hurt the team in the long term. So, let’s take a look at the last year and a half or so of Brian Cashman’s trades to see what the Yankees gave up.
Let’s start with the “deadline” deal of Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. What did the Yankees give up here? With the exception of Tabata, nothing special. Though Ohlendorf pitched well for the Pirates in 2009, he would not have played a big role for the 2009 Yankees and likely would have had just as small a role for the 2010 Yankees. Karstens did poorly in 39 games–13 starts–with the Bucs. McCutchen held his own (98 ERA+) and showed decent control (2.97 BB/9) in ‘09, but like the other two pitchers in this deal, he’d have no real place on the Yankees moving forward. There are plenty of guys ahead of him.
Jose Tabata was really the only player of consequence the Yankees forfeited in this deal with the Pirates. At the time of the trade, his OPS in the Eastern League was a meager .630. He raked once joining Altoona (.964), but 2009 was less spectacular (.763 OPS between AA and AAA). In a system that’s hurting for position player prospects, losing Tabata hurt, but Jose’s production had dropped year to year and level to level with the Yankees and there were apparently character issues. Perhaps all he needed was a change of scenery. It’s worth noting that Tabata’s star has taken a bit of a hit in recent years; he was rated the 27th best prospect in baseball pre-2007, the #37 pre-2008, and the #75 pre-2009.
The next trade of any importance was the December 2008 trade fleecing of Kenny Williams in the Nick Swisher deal. Cashman traded away Jeff Marquez–who’d seemingly stalled in his development and subsequently bombed with the Sox AAA team in 2009–Wilson Betemit–who was eventually DFA’d–and Jhonny Nunez who did poorly in a 5.2 inning stint with the Sox, but performed very well in the minors. This deal was absolutely great for the Yankees. They bought low on a very good cost controlled player and payed an incredibly small price.
In February of last year, Cashman traded Chase Wright to the Brewers for Eric Fryer; Fryer was eventually included with Casey Erickson in a deal for Eric Hinske. While Hinske didn’t have a huge impact on the Yankees, he added much more than either player would have now, or in the future. It’s also worth noting that the Pirates paid for Hinske’s time with the Yankees.
In other relatively minor trades, Cashman traded Chase Weems to the Reds for Jerry Hairston, Jr., who proved useful off the bench down the stretch and in the playoffs. Again, what Hairston added last year was more than Weems would likely add in the future. Weems would have been stuck behind any number of Yankee catching prospects and it’s likely that he’d never even make the Major League team.
For literally nothing but money, Brian acquired Chad Gaudin, who could be useful as a swingman out of the bullpen in 2010.
A brief review: so far out of these trades, the only remotely useful piece given up was Jose Tabata, and he was likely still at least a year and a half away from being in the Majors at the time of his trade.
The trades of which we’re unsure are the ones made in this offseason. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t judge them now.
The first trade made in 2010 was trading Brian Bruney to the Nationals for a player to be named later, Jamie Hoffmann. It appears that the Yankees grew tired of giving the oft-injured and inconsistent Bruney second chances and tried to turn him into a useful bench piece. If Hoffmann doesn’t make the team and must be returned to the Dodgers, as he’s a Rule V pick, then this trade looks a little worse. If he does stick with the team, this trade looks about equal: marginal piece for marginal piece.
This post is running a bit long and the other, more “major” players traded early in 2010 require a separate post that I’ll put up tomorrow. That one will feature my thoughts on Phil Coke, Mike Dunn, Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson.
Yesterday, Moshe posted 25 questions/issues going into Spring Training. Tackling them one-by-one in full posts would take way too long, so I’m going to give some quick hit answers to each one.
1. Jorge’s decline: Steve’s got legit concerns about Jorge declining, and if there’s anyone on the Yankees who’s going to decline, it’s likely to be Jorge. The average projection for Jorge doesn’t seem too ominous, but you never know with older catchers. My guess? Jorge doesn’t fall off a cliff, but he’s not as productive with the bat as he was last year.
2. The back up catcher: barring injury, I think this job is Cervelli’s to lose. His bat is iffy, but it’s okay for a back up catcher and his defense is solid.
3. The Jesus and 2010/catching: If we see El Carpentiero at all in ‘10, it’ll likely be as a September call up. As for whether he can handle catching, I’m cautiously optimistic. Regardless, that bat is downright dreamy and I want it sticking around in the Yankee organization for years to come.
4. Nick Johnson: Like with Hideki Matsui in ‘09, keeping Johnson off the field could be the key to keeping him healthy. If he does stay healthy, I think he could at the very least come close to matching Hideki/Johnny Damon, he’ll just do it in different ways. His power should bounce back by being in YSIII and I’d expect his HR/FB anomaly from 2009 to correct itself as well.
5. Cano’s defense: I think he’ll stay where he is, which is frustrating ’cause he’s brilliant out there at times.
6. Jeter’s contract situation as a potential distraction: I don’t think it will be an issue until after the ASB.
7. A-Rod’s defense: I think we’ll see the second half A-Rod on defense–still below average with the range (but what an arm!), but not as bad as he was immediately after returning.
8. Utility role: I say Pena, unless Russo really wows everyone in ST.
9. Which Swish: It may not be an exact copy, but I’d put good money on the ‘10 Swisher looking a lot like the ‘09 Swisher.
10. Grandy vs. lefties: Hopefully, Kevin Long can work some magic. And, yes, moving to YSIII will definitely help C-Grand.
11. Gardner as an everyday player: I’m cautiously optimistic for Gardner, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on this issue.
12. Randy Winn’s possible decline: 2009 looks like one of two outliers in the last 8 seasons, 2006 was the other. If he can bounce back, great. If not, it’s not a huge sunken cost and he’s replaceable.
13. Gardy or Grandy in CF: I’ll be happy either way, but the numbers point to Gardner in CF.
14. Hoffmann or Thames: I think they’ll go with Hoffmann, just to see what he’s got unless Thames absolutely destroys the Grapefruit League.
15. October hangover for SPs: It’s possible, but they’re veterans who know how to manage their bodies. Hopefully, there are no ill effects.
16. Javy as unclutch: I see good things for Javy this time around.
17. A.J.’s health: Burnett will pitch at least 185 innings in 2010.
18. 5th starter: I’ve written more than once about this. Joba it shall be.
19. BP or SWB: See above.
20. Damaso: He won’t be as lights out in the playoffs, but he’ll be his usual lefty destroying self since he’ll finally be healthy for a full year.
21. Second lefty: I don’t think a second lefty is a must, but I think General Joe likes the idea of having two lefties, so I think they’ll at least start off the year w/2 LHRPs.
22. If not, who gets the job: No thinking, gut reaction, Melancon.
23. Mo and…aging…: I’ll defer to Chris Turk for the answer.
24. Girardi’s lack of job security: The only way it becomes an issue is if Joe really screws up this year, which won’t happen.
25. Room in the budget if needed: They’ll find it.
So, there you have it: 25 quick answers to 25 complex questions. Before you know it, it’ll be November and we’ll be looking back on these (hopefully after a 28th championship) issues and their outcomes. Here’s to hoping they all turn out the way we want them to.
Heading into 2009, we were treated to multiple “battles” at Spring Training. The above pictured Ramiro Pena won a mini-battle, a skirmish if you will, to become the bench infielder/utility man when the Yankees broke camp. The two major battles were in the outfield. In center field, Brett Gardner won the starting center field job over Melky Cabrera, though he eventually lost that job after underperforming early in the season.
In right field, Nick Swisher lost out to Xavier Nady, but when Nady went down with an injury, Swisher filled in more than admirably and had a fantastic year, belting 29 home runs and posting a career high 129 OPS+.
This season, there are a few battles we should keep an eye on. Two of them, though one of them is pretty small, are on the pitching side and one of them is on the bench, and it involves Ramiro Pena once again.
Let’s start off by looking at the small-potatoes battle in the bullpen. Disclaimer: I’m assuming the loser of the fifth starter battle is placed in SWB as the sixth starter, therefore the set-up spot is open. While it is likely that they will be rather “interchangeable”–that is, either option would be fine–it’s still possible that one of Damaso Marte or David Robertson will be the primary set-up man, regardless of where the batter stands. If either pitcher can show the ability to balance his splits, he could be used more frequently. However, I’d still expect Marte to face lefties the vast majority of the time and that this “battle” will not yield much of consequence. Both are fine set-up options and I’d be more than comfortable with either one of them pitching in front of Mariano Rivera.
The Yankees’ rotation spots one through four are set: Sabathia, Burnett, Vazquez, Pettitte. The fifth spot is still, apparently, up for grabs. The two contenders are youngsters Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. Both of them have had incredible success in the bullpen, but developing them as starters is the Yankees’ plan (as it should be) so one of them will definitely have to start full time this year.
As starters, both have been nothing if not inconsistent. Regardless, they’ve both shown incredible flashes of brilliance in the rotation. If I had to predict how this battle would go right now, I’d say that it’s almost a sure thing that Joba Chamberlain will get the nod as the fifth starter. While Hughes got over 100 innings last year, Chamberlain made 30 starts and pitched a full season innings wise. Frankly stated, he’s much more prepared to start in the Majors than Hughes is. I like them both, a lot, but the truth is that unless there’s an injury, only one of them can start full time for all of 2010. The two of them still need to put some work in before they reach their potential as top-of-the-rotation-starters, but, as I said only one of them can put that work in full time. The real question is whether or not the Yankees will use the loser of the battle as the sixth starter at AAA or as a set-up option in the bullpen. For my thoughts on that, see this post.
The last battle is essentially a skirmish as well. The winner of this “fight” is not likely to have a major impact on the Yankees and if he is counted on to do so, the 2010 season is probably in a great, great deal of trouble. The only other open spot I can see–as of right now–is the utility infielder position. Last year, Ramiro Pena won the job over Angel Berroa and he performed pretty well. He OPS’d .699 and played solid defense at short and third. All in all, he did a good job as the utility guy. Why, then, would his spot be in jeopardy? Mostly because his .699 OPS is the outlier in his career. His minor league OPS is .635 and while his .287 BA in ‘09 at the ML level was nice, it was largely due to a .340 BABIP. Despite his great defense, Pena’s lack of a bat could be his downfall in 2010. His in-organization combination will likely be Kevin Russo, who offers similar position flexibility, but a slightly better bat. While Russo hasn’t flashed much power in the minors, .403 SLG, his .360 OBP is nice and shows good maturity at the plate. At the plate, it’s not likely that Russo represents much of an upgrade over Pena, and Pena is the better fielder; he also has experience on his side, and I’d expect Pena to win. Despite that, I’m sure we’ll see Kevin Russo at some point in 2010.
One of the truly under reported areas of the 2010 Yanks is the lefthanded bullpen options. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that after Damaso Marte, there aren’t many. Add on top of that the fact that Marte has been hurt for most of his tenure as a Yankee and it’s something that Yankee fans should have some concern about. Chad Jennings took a look at this area of potential weakness for the 2010 Yanks on a post over at LoHud yesterday. He lists the Lefthanded bullpen options as follows:
Damaso Marte
Despite last year’s ugly season ERA — a shockingly bad 9.45 through 13.1 innings spread across 21 games — Marte was actually good against left-handers last year. As a strictly left-on-left specialist, last season actually gives no reason for concern.
Career vs. LH: .197/.294/.287
2009 vs. LH: .120/.214/.280
Boone Logan
Back in 2006, Logan went into spring training having pitched a total of four games above rookie ball, but he somehow made the White Sox opening day roster. With his career suddenly pushed much faster than expected, Logan’s first big league appearance spanned two scoreless innings, but he ultimately had an 8.31 big league ERA that season. Since then, he’s been up and down (in terms of going from the big leagues to the minors, and in terms of his success at the major league level). These are his big league splits the past three years.
2007 vs. LH: .221/.296/.291
2008 vs. LH: .291/.324/.505
2009 vs. LH: .231/.318/.308
Wilkin De La Rosa
The young prospect of the group, De La Rosa is a converted outfielder who pitched last year out of the Double-A rotation. Mark Newman has said De La Rosa is likely to return to the Double-A rotation for the start of 2010, but I’m not ready to completely rule him out of the big league mix. It seems unlikely, but possible that he’ll make such an impression in big league camp that the Yankees change their plans.
2009 AA vs. LH: .159/.274/.262
2008 LA vs. LH: .182/.291/.250
De La Rosa also made three High-A starts in 2008 and three more in 2009, but those sample sizes are too small to mean much.
Royce Ring
Signed a minor league deal, Ring will get a chance to pitch in spring training but seems more likely to open the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His career big league splits against lefties are OK but not great (.229 average, but a lot of walks leading to a .350 on-base percentage). He has allowed only two left-handed home runs in 159 career appearances against lefties in the majors.
2009 AAA vs. LH: .208/.296/.264
After Marte, the list is not encouraging. You’re looking at a junkballer who’s likely to get crushed in the AL East in Logan, a AA pitcher who’s at best a mid-season callup in De La Rosa, and a guy who’s bounced around the majors for good reason in Royce Ring. Even Phil Hughes had a fairly stark platoon split last year, so he’s not going to be your go-to guy in a late inning situation when you need to get that one batter out.
But that’s not to say the Yanks will be walking David Ortiz anytime soon. The guy who the Yanks will call upon when Marte is not available in these (non-save) situations will be David Robertson. He had a stark reverse platoon split last year, and for those of us who’ve followed him throughout his minor league career that’s actually been the rule, not the exception. His fastball has a natural cutting action that gives him an edge facing Lefty batters. He also throws an occasional change, which can be more effective against opposite handed hitters. A pitcher’s handedness is something that fans shouldn’t get too hung up about anyway. All too often, we’ve seen Lefty pitchers come here and get everyone out except Lefties, with Chris Hammond as a notable example from back in 2003. The point is to get outs, regardless of which hand a certain pitcher throws with.
But as you can see, the list of options we have is very thin. Especially in light of Marte’s recent health history. I never thought I’d say this, but we may actually miss Phil Coke after all.
(photo courtesy of Newsday)
Remember the cries of outrage when the Yankees traded for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for a package of prospects last year? We heard the usual reactions of how ‘it’s bad for Baseball’ and ‘the rich get richer’ from many of the usual suspects. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times has a new piece up in his BATS Blog looking at that deal from the perspective of a year later. He writes:
PITTSBURGH – Ross Ohlendorf has had a breakthrough season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 11-9 with a 3.97 E.R.A. for a last-place team.
It was a move that seemed to help the Yankees at the time, boosting their chances in the pennant race. But the Pirates are enjoying the long-term benefits now. Karstens is out with a back injury after going 3-4 with a 5.03 earned run average, but McCutchen made his major league debut in Cincinnati last Monday, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings.
He goes on to say McCutchen figures to be in the mix for Pittsburgh’s rotation next year while for Jose Tabata the trade has served as a wake-up call. According to McCutchen, Tabata is playing with a renewed focus and hustle he often didn’t display in his time with the Yankees. He’s hitting .296 with five homers and a .360 on-base percentage this season for the Pirates AA and AAA affiliates. At 21 years old, he’s still a baby and still has years to reach his full potential, but by having reached AAA at that young age, a fast start for Tabata in 2010 could very well land him on the big league club early next year. Players who make their major league debuts that young are often elite talents, so his MLB potential remains vast. Personally, I thought the Yanks had rushed him through the system and it showed in the results he had in 2008 in Trenton. After being traded, the Pirates sent him all the way down to rookie ball initially (most likely for roster reasons) where he seemed to regain his swing and he had an outstanding final month of the season for their AA Altoona Curve team.
From the Yankee perspective, the trade has been a bust. It was a win-now move, and they missed the playoffs last year. They bought high on Nady, in the midst of his best season batting .330/.383/.535. (.919 OPS) with the Pirates last year. His production last year dropped off with the Yankees, putting up a line of .268/.320/.474 (.794 OPS) after being traded. In 2009, he hurt his elbow and required Tommy John surgery (his 2nd) and has been out since April 14th.
The Damaso Marte part of the deal has also yielded disappointing results from the Yankee end. Thought at the time to have been the Yanks long-needed answer to the Lefty reliever AND primary set up man problem, Marte followed Nady’s lead and performed poorly with the team. With the Pittsburgh Pirates last year he was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA, in 46.2 innings he allowed 38 Hits and 16 Walks while striking out 47 (1.157 WHIP/ ERA+119 ). Since coming over to the Yankees, in 2 seasons he has gone 2-4 with a 6.43 ERA. Pitching just 28 innings in over a calendar year, he has allowed 20 Runs 14 Walks and 4 HRs (1.321 WHIP/ ERA+69 ). He also missed much of 2009 with a shoulder injury. So again the Yanks bought high on an NL player and have yet to see him produce similar results in pinstripes.
The rich got richer? Bad for Baseball? I’m sure the same folks who were saying that last year will be issuing their retractions any day now.
Tyler Kepner recently wrote a blog post on Ross Ohlendorf and the trade that sent him to the Pirates, and Rob Neyer quickly caught on and riffed off of it, focusing instead on Jose Tabata:
Granted, the equation would look quite a bit different if Marte hadn’t fallen apart the moment the Yankees got him, and if Nady hadn’t missed most of this season with a serious elbow injury.
But even if both players had done exactly what we’d expected — Marte a serviceable lefty reliever, Nady an average (at best) American League outfielder — this deal still would have been a steal for the Pirates.
Or it would probably have been a steal, anyway. That’s what happens when you trade two marginal veterans for a quartet of talented young players. Ohlendorf’s good enough to start for the Yankees, right now. Karstens may yet find himself as a reliever. McCutchen may soon be as good as Ohlendorf. And Tabata … well, he’s the real prize, isn’t he?Between the ages of 16 and 19, Tabata was routinely the youngest player in his league, and he routinely batted .300 (while drawing plenty of walks for a teenager). Everybody said Tabata couldn’t miss. Said he was the Yankees’ best prospect. Said they wouldn’t trade him, because he was their Center Fielder of the Future.
And then he got off to a lousy start in Class AA last year. He was still just a teenager, and probably was yet again the youngest player in his league. But he got off to a lousy start, and the Yankees needed Xavier Nady. Well, they didn’t need Xavier Nady. Nobody in the history of baseball has needed a player like Xavier Nady. (Not until after the fact, anyway. If the Yankees had qualified for the playoffs last season, afterward it would have seemed like they had indeed needed him.)
So the Yankees essentially traded Jose Tabata, so recently their very best prospect, to the Pirates for Xavier Nady. Someday, historians will read that sentence and snicker.
I love Rob, but there is a whole lot of WRONG in this little blogpost. Firstly, the idea that no one ever needs Xavier Nady is a bit silly, in that Nady is not a replacement level player, just a league average player. He was better than anything the Yankees had readily available, and therefore represented an improvement for the club. For a team that was in a playoff race at the time, the marginal improvement from Justin Christian to Xavier Nady was significant, and I am not sure how Rob can represent it as being anything but a net positive. Adding a lefty reliever like Marte was similarly a drastic improvement over the options the Yankees had at that moment, although the marginal upgrade was likely less than the one gained from adding an everyday player like Nady.
Additionally, let’s not rush to anoint these “talented young players” as stars quite yet. McCutchen has made one start and profiles as, at-best, a back of the rotation guy, while Karstens is the very definition of replacement level. Ohlendorf has improved, but he still has an ERA just under 4 in the AL Central, with a FIP of 4.74, and a K/9 of 5.57. He may turn into a good pitcher, but the performances of Brad Penny and John Smoltz in the NL after being awful in the AL East suggests that the level of competition is incredibly different in the two leagues. The three pitchers are exactly the kind of assets an organization with plenty of pitching in its system should be giving up to get pieces that can help in a pennant race. The key here is Tabata, who took a step forward this year but still has yet to flash the power that would make him an elite prospect.
While the Yankees were quick to give up on Tabata, it is important to note that he had a huge attitude problem with the Yankees that many felt would torpedo his career. Furthermore, you need to give up something of value to complete most trades, and Tabata represented that value here. He had enough question marks about reaching his talent that it made for a good gamble by the Yankees. Most analysts felt that the Yankees made a good or even great deal, and cited the unknowns regarding Tabata as their primary reasons for reaching that conclusion. Just to quote one pundit at the time of the trade:
I wasn’t thrilled with the Xavier Nady deal, from the Pirates’ perspective. Jose Tabata’s star seems to have fallen (though of course he’s still young).
Who said that? Why, Rob Neyer, of course.
According to Bryan Hoch, Alfredo Aceves’ shoulder felt better today after a 20-pitch bullpen session.
In addition, from PA, we learn that Damaso Marte was throwing 88 mph meatballs last night (he gave up 2 homers). Marte has now given up 3 ER over 4 2/3 IP with Scranton. He usually throws around 92 mph, so maybe it’s just a bit of rust. However, as PA states, I don’t think the Yankees can count on him coming back anytime soon. His latest outing may force them to pursue another lefty via trade.
Here are three quick items to start the day:
- Yesterday, the Yankees defeated the Orioles, 2-1, thanks to good pitching by Andy Pettitte and a walk-off home run by Hideki Matsui. I also have to point out the great Yankee defense exhibited throughout, especially in the top of inning number 8, when two runs were saved at home. This victory—their fourth consecutive win—was an important one for the Yankees as they tied the Red Sox for first place in the AL East. Ha! Take that, John Henry.
- Damaso Marte continues to rehab and will pitch for Scranton later today. Marte has pitched for the Gulf Coast League, thus far, giving up 1 ER over 2 innings pitched (2 K, 2 H). The Yankees have noted that they would like to have two left-handed relievers Virus move in their bullpen, therefore, Marte is an important piece to the Yankees’ pitching puzzle. If he can return, then Brian Cashman won’t be forced to acquire a lefty via trade (I think a trade will occur if Marte experiences a significant setback).
- Finally, according to Tyler Kepner, Monument Park will not be moved and will remain in its current location. Lonn Trost, the Yankees’ “chief operating officer,” stated that such a move would be logistically “implausible.” Many folks have commented about the park’s location, as it is somewhat hidden in CF. However, when I went through it the other day I really had no complaints regarding its location. Based on my own experience, the main problem is that the corridor leading into Monument Park is far too narrow and dark. It has a “back alley” feel that needs to be altered.
After last night’s eighth inning implosion, the state of the bullpen is the issue on the minds of most Yankees fans. Before anyone mentions Joba Chamberlain, I want to preempt that by pointing out the atrocious starting pitching in the first two games against Boston. Forget about the point that a starter is more valuable than a reliever, or that sticking him in the bullpen would stunt his development. Right now, the rotation actually needs Joba more than the bullpen does.
With that out of the way, we can look at the bullpen and examine what needs to be done. Firstly, the Yankees need Brian Bruney, and to a lesser extent Damaso Marte, to return from injury and pitch well. Bruney has a career ERA under 3.00 with the Yankees, so I have no reason to believe that he cannot handle the 8th inning once he returns. Here is Newsday’s Erik Boland with more on Bruney:
Brian Bruney took the next step in his rehab Thursday afternoon when he threw 25 pitches to live hitters in the batting cage and felt no pain.
It was another positive development, one that Joe Girardi said will probably have the righthander pitching for Double-A Trenton tomorrow (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is on the road Saturday).
The Burning movie If that goes well, Bruney could rejoin the Yankees as early as Tuesday, though Girardi said the team is still being cautious with Bruney, who has been on the DL twice this season with pain in his right elbow.
Marte is still 2-3 weeks away, but his return will be almost as vital, giving Girardi another lefty that he can use to play matchups with. As I noted a few weeks ago, Marte has had a very good career, and his last two seasons in NY have been marred by injury. He should be an important piece in the bullpen mix.
Finally, the Yankees could always look to the trade market. Ken Rosenthal mentioned some possibilities this morning (h/t RAB):
The Yankees, in dire need of a setup man, eventually will target the best available late-inning relievers — the Rockies’ Huston Street, Diamondbacks’ Chad Qualls and Astros’ Jose Valverde. In fact, they already have expressed interest in Street, according to major-league sources.
Quite frankly, the only one I would touch is Street, and he is likely to come with a hefty price tag. If it would cost the Yankees Zach McCallister, would you make that deal?
