The Yankees played through the playoffs and won the World Series on the backs of three pitchers. It was a scary strategy that worked out for Joe Giradi's crew, but one that should not have happened. General Manager Brian Cashman could've netted a higher quality pitcher at the July trade deadline, but chose not to. Instead, he ended up getting Chad Gaudin in a waiver wire deal. Don't get me wrong, he was fine for a number five starter, but Giradi had no confidence in him going into the playoffs, and they gambled on the three man rotation. They had also lost all confidence in Joba Chamberlain, one of their highly regarded young pitchers, but that is their own fault.
The way they misused Joba was borderline criminal. They continually moved his pitching days around down the stretch to keep his inning totals down, but had they just started him in the bullpen early on, and built him up throughout the year, they may have achieved better results, and had a surefire fourth starter in the playoffs. They can't do that next year, and should they make the playoffs again, they are going to need more ammo.
So what are the World Champs to do? Do they go with their young pitchers as they tried two years ago with disastrous results? Do they make another big splash in free agency and sign John Lackey? A lot of this depends on whether or not Andy Pettitte returns for another season, and that's an issue I'm torn on. Should Andy return for another season in pinstripes?
Personally, as much as I like Pettitte, and 100% appreciate all he's done for the Yankees, what a better way to go out than with another ring on your finger? He's contemplated retirement for years now, and everyone would certainly understand him doing so now. If he does retire, then the Yankees should absolutely go for Lackey.
If he returns, I'd hold off, sign a mid-tier pitcher, and have Joba and Phil Hughes battle for the 5th spot.
Make no mistake about it, only one of the youngsters should start next year. I don't want them weakening the bullpen too much, especially with many decent available mid-tier starters out there. I can't trust Hughes and Joba to try and prove their worth again in the rotation either, that's too many iffy starts to worry about, and they just don't deserve it. Let them fight it out in Spring Training, and the "loser" heads to the bullpen, where honestly he wouldn't be much of a loser. He'd be Mariano's set-up man. And that's that. No silly rules, no messing with their heads. Let them know their jobs, and let them do it. See how it goes from there.
If Andy retires, and you can sign Lackey, then you can try to grab a Randy Wolf or Jason Marquis for the fourth spot. Would you try out Chad Gaudin again? Possibly, maybe he gives you more than he did, but he can be an asset as a long man, too. While Wolf is the better pitcher, Marquis brings in a real NYC flavor that I'd love the team to have. I just think he'd pitch well in his hometown.
So signing a Lackey-Marquis or Pettitte-Wolf combo would both work very well. If you went Lackey-Pettitte that would obviously be the best, but I'm not sure the Yankees need to go there this year.
What about the dark horses? Will Chien Ming Wang be back healthy? What about Ian Kennedy, should he be able to get in on the action? Kei Ig...nevermind. Wang was the De-facto Yankee ace for two years plus before a freak injury derailed his career. He should be back healthy from all his ailments come late spring. Does that factor into the decision making or is that just a bonus, and something the Yanks won't think about till it happens? Or do they non-tender the guy and send him packing? I'd hate to see that happen, but if he doesn't fit, it may make sense. Kennedy is interesting, and should be allowed to compete in Spring Training as well, but he may just be a trade chip at this point.
With a World Series in their back pocket, though, and next year's crop of free agent pitchers looking better with Doc Halladay and Cliff Lee possibly leading the fray, the Yanks can afford to sit back and see how the Hot Stove plays out. However, a 1-2-3 of Sabathia-Lackey-Burnett would sure be a nice Christmas gift...wouldn't it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
I think you hit the high points of the 2010 rotation, except for one:
Yer rotation depends on A. J. Burnett as your #2-3 starter week in and week out. With his injury history in Toronto, I'd be a bit worried.
Therefore, adding another injury prone starter like Lackey may not be the best idea. Admittedly, Lackey is a beast when healthy. He's one of the most consistent starters out there, when he's out there. He's consistently above average, though his annual performances are never quite elite.
Probably because he hasn't pitched a full season since '07.
Did I mention Lackey's injury prone? :)
FWIW: I prefer resigning Pettitte short term over Lackey for a longer (3+ years) period of time. I prefer Joba over Hughes as a starter, since getting 200 innings from him is a feasible progression at this point in his career (from 157+). And, I prefer Marquis over Wolf.
Otherwise, I agree with what you said.
Good stuff.
Thanks for the thoughts, Seung. I'd like to think (hope?) Burnett may be past his injury prone stages. His stint in Toronto with the Doc really seemed to help the guy. I guess we'll see.
Lackey is in the same boat for sure, but he's so tough, it's hard not to want him. What I saw in the playoffs from him was something I want. He's a monster on the mound. It's something any team could use.
Post a Comment