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When you look at the fifth starter competition in 2010, you also have to look back and look ahead.  Look back to 2009 and all the Yankees went through to get Joba stretched out and ready to pitch without innings limits.  Look ahead to 2011 and realize that the only two definite starters the Yankees have on the roster are Sabathia and Burnett.

That means it is vital that the Yankees develop a starter in 2010 who can slot into the 2011 rotation.  It makes it much more likely that Joba and Hughes (two guys who aren't going anywhere) beat out guys like Gaudin and Mitre (who knows where they will be).  I suppose you could put Aceves in the former group, but I think the Yankees value the flexibility he gives them in the bullpen.  Now, a small disclaimer.  I fully believe the Yankees would go in a different direction than Hughes or Joba if they continue to stink in spring training, but assuming they improve a little bit, this is a two-horse race.

Now, in that race, I think Joba is the favorite.  He is the guy they tried to develop in 2009 and while it was bumpy at times, he certainly showed potential.  Through the end of July, Joba had a 3.58 ERA as a starter.  That was the point the Yankees started messing with his starts (and his head) and things went downhill from there.  What caused the fall off in performance in the final two months?  I'm not sure anyone knows for sure, but I think it's another reason the Yankees will give him every chance to show it was his head and not his arm.

What will be interesting to watch is what the Yankees do with Hughes.  The smartest approach may be to put him in the minors as a starter for a couple of months.  This would achieve two things.  First, keeping Hughes in Scranton for part of the season would allow him to build up his innings which would put him in line to start in 2011 without an innings cap. More importantly, it would give the Yankees insurance if one of their starters got hurt.

That could be a huge factor in the decision.  Aceves will almost certainly make the team as a reliever.  Gaudin's deal isn't guaranteed and I would expect the Yankees to cut him loose if he didn't make the club.  (Why pay him $3 million to relieve when you have guys like Melancon who can do it for much cheaper?)  I believe Mitre woudl have to agree to a minor league assignment, so he is probably gone.  Now look at Scranton's roster.  There really isn't anyone with major league experience.  Having Hughes in Scranton would give you a solid replacement if a pitcher got hurt. 

I can hear the argument against this and it is a good one.  Why keep one of the 12-best arms on your club in the minors for a situation that may never arise?  Well, if the paragraph above didn't sway you how about we think about 2011 again?  Mariano is 40 and while I wouldn't bet against him, it is fair to say that he might not have many years left.  If the Yankees are going to develop Hughes and Joba as starters, then they also need to develop some other guys as possible closers down the line.  If Hughes opens in Scranton, I would assume that gives Robertson a chance to be the 8th-inning guy (along with Marte).  Additionally, it might give a guy like Melancon a shot at making the team outright.  My opinion is that starting 2010 with Joba in the fifth spot, Hughes in Scranton and Robertson being the bridge to Rivera is the best way to handle the delicate balancing act of winning in 2010 and preparing for 2011.  If something doesn't work, let's say Joba blows up, then Hughes can jump into the rotation and Joba into the pen.  If Robertson blows up, Hughes can replace him in the bridge role.  And, if a starter gets hurt, Hughes is ready to jump into the rotation.

Is it perfect?  No, you waste Hughes' talent for the part of the season he spends in the minors.  But, if people stay healthy you could end up with Joba as a rotation cog, Hughes ready to become one and Robertson (or Melancon) as a reliable bridge to Rivera.  That's the best case for 2010 and 2011.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

There is a story building about A-Rod and Dr. Anthony Galea. Galea is being investigated by federal authorities after getting stopped at the border bringing HGH into the country.  So far, he has been tied to Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Huston Street and Tiger Woods.  Now, Galea is saying he treated A-Rod last year after hip surgery, but only gave him anti-inflammatory drugs.

Now, on the surface that shouldn't be a problem, but as with all things A-Rod there are some other details that need to be considered.  Start with this statement from the Yankees:

"The New York Yankees have not been contacted with regard to an investigation of Dr. Tony Galea. The Yankees never authorized Dr. Tony Galea to treat Alex Rodriguez, nor do we have any knowledge of any such treatment.

Assuming Galea is telling the truth, then A-Rod went behind that team's back to get treatment.  Not exactly a great thing to learn.

But the bigger issue is obviously Galea's involvement with HGH.  Assuming what Galea said is true, A-Rod's only "crime" is not getting authorization from the team for treatment.  If that is indeed the case, A-Rod should apologize to the Yankees and get a statement out about this ASAP.  Otherwise, the speculation and distractions will start to build.  Neither Alex nor the Yankees need that right now.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

The Daily News is reporting that Edwar Ramirez has been DFA'ed to make room for Chan Ho Park. 

I suppose this is the best choice, it must have come down to Ramirez or Albie.  Ramirez has an amazing changeup, but his fastball is not ML-quality and that changeup can only carry him so far.  About 100 innings and 20 HR's allowed in his big league career proves that. 

Anyway, best of luck to him, he is one of the guys you root for.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

When A-Rod's boli admission came out last year I wrote this:

But, I am also really sick of this whole thing and if Alex steps up and tries to speak out against steroid use and supports the Tyler Hooten Foundation then I will move on too.  Alex asked to be judged from this point forward and the ball is in his court on that.

So, I was very pleased when I read this story on Friday which included this quote:

Don Hooton, the father of Taylor Hooton, would not give details, in a telephone conversation Thursday, about how often Rodriguez had spoken to youth groups. But Hooton said: “He has been phenomenal. He has a strong message to the kids. He has delivered to the letter and the spirit.”

And this one:

Asked Thursday about his promise last year, Rodriguez said: “I don’t think it serves a big purpose to get into it, but I will say that actions speak louder than words and that Don has a great message. The more I can do with Don, in spreading the message, the better person I will become, too.”

And this one:

Hooton, who has been to a number of Congressional hearings about drugs, joked that the young people Rodriguez addresses were tougher with him than reporters were.

“They go right for it: ‘Why did you do it? Where did you get them?’ ” Hooton said.

Perhaps A-Rod's second act will be what he is remembered for one day. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Throughout this offseason and previous ones, Brian Cashman has shown that he doesn't act with his heart.  He is cold and calculating, a perfect combination for a GM.  Cashman doesn't get caught up in the emotion of a move, he simply continues to try and make the Yankees younger and better.  Yet somehow, everyone seems to think that the Yankees and Cashman will hand Derek Jeter a huge contract next fall when his current ten-year deal expires.  I have seen various writers guess at six years and $25 million a year. 

Now Derek Jeter is a special player.  He is one of the greatest Yankees to ever play the game, but he is also 36 and playing shortstop, a position that very few players have played well in their late 30's.  While he hasn't shown much rust and his 2009 was stellar, it is legitimate to question just how much he has left in the tank.

Obviously, nobody knows for sure, but we do know that the closer to 40 he gets, the bigger the chance he stops producing at his current levels.  Brian Cashman understands this and I wouldn't expect him to offer anything close to six years to Jeter.  Unless the economy really improves, I imagine the negotiation will play out with the Yankees offering Jeter arbitration (and probably hoping he will take it since it would just be a one-year deal) before making a proposal for a three-year deal for no more than $60 million.  That in itself is a very risky deal for the Yankees to make and I don't think they would do it for any other player besides Jeter. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Today's the day we all have waited for, pitchers and catchers are reporting in Tampa.  As the Yankees look to defend their title, there are only a few questions that need to be answered in camp, but some of them are going to be big ones. 

First up is who will be the fifth starter?  Joe Girardi may say that it's a five-pitcher race, but I don't believe him.  I think this probably comes down to Hughes or Chamberlain.  I know there is a story in the Post today that the Yankees are going to put Joba in the bullpen no matter what, but I don't believe that either.  The Yankees could have kept Joba in the pen in 2009, but they felt he could be a front line starter.  Through July 30th, it looked like he was well on his way as he sported as 7-2 record with a 3.58 ERA. 

We know what happened next, but I still think a lot of it had to do with the Yankees and the way they tried to manipulate his innings.   There is only one way to find out- let him loose for an entire season and see what happens.  I bet the Yankees do that and put Hughes back into the bullpen, but there is one problem with that; it doesn't prepare Hughes for the role he may need to assume in 2011.  

I think the ultimate hopes of the Yankees are that Joba and Hughes pitch in the rotation in 2011.  Getting Hughes to be in position to fill that role is going to be a challenge.  If they put him in the bullpen from the start of the season, he probably won't pitch more than 100 innings if that.  That will mean we would have the "Hughes Rules" in 2011. 

The resolution of the rotation will help clear up the next question of camp which is what will the bullpen look like?  I think you can pretty much close five spots right now- Mo, the loser of the rotation competition, Marte, Robertson and Aceves.  That leaves a lot of arms in play for the final two spots.  I think Logan or Ring have to be considered favorites for one spot since the Yankees would probably like to take two lefties and the last spot will be wide open with Gaudin, Mitre, Melancon and Albie all in the mix.  (I could see the Yankees trading Gaudin)

Another big question is what will the lineup look like?  We know Jeter leads off and Tex and A-Rod are the 3/4, but what about the other spots?  I think the Yankees might go with Granderson in the #2 spot against RHP and Johnson hitting 7th.  Those two could also flip-flop spots against LHP.  The 5 spot is probably going to go to Cano because the Yankees could then round out the rest of lineup alternating between lefties and switch-hitters (Posada-Johnson-Swisher-Gardner). 

A smaller question is who is playing left and who is playing center?  I am not sure if there will be a definitive answer reached in spring training and it wouldn't shock me to see both guys get a lot of appearances in both spots.  But, there is another question that directly impacts this one and it is who are the outfielders who make this team?  

Obviously, we know that Swisher, Granderson and Gardner are on the team, but I wouldn't go further than that.  Winn has the inside track at the fourth spot, but if he bombs in camp I bet the Yankees trade or release him.  Thames is going to have to fight Hoffmann and Golson off for the final outfield spot.  

And finally, what about the extra infielder?  I think Ramiro Pena is the safe bet, but if Kevin Russo shows them something, the Yankees just might take him.  

Some big questions, some smaller ones, but the important thing is that baseball is back!

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

How desperate is Scott Boras?  He is trying to pitch Johnny Damon to the Tigers by saying that he loves Steve Yzerman (for those of you who don't know him, Yzerman was the captain of the Red Wings), loves the Red Wings and eats octopus at Greek restaurants.  (The fans in Detroit always throw an octopus on the ice at the start of the playoffs) 

Here's a great quote from Boras:

"He told me, 'If I can't play for the Yankees, I want you to let the Tigers know I want to play for them. I can make that team a winner.' "

But, despite his love of Detroit, Boras lets everyone know that he got four or five offers for Damon after it became clear the Yankees were no longer interested.

I guess this is what you have to do when camps are opening in the next 10 days.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Reports all over the net (I think Heyman was first) that the Yankees have signed Marcus Thames to a minor league deal.  It's exactly the move they needed after signing Randy Winn and gives them the perfect outfielder to deploy against lefties.  For his career, Thames has hit .256/.329/.516 against LHP. Now we can enjoy a nice old battle for playing time in camp this March.

Bringing Thames back also means the Yankees have three former players coming back this year.  Not that it's important, but I figured it was worth mentioning. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

Reed Johnson has signed a deal with the Dodgers that will earn him an ENORMOUS $800,000 next season.  I am just wondering why the Yankees couldn't have found the spare change for this deal?

Last year Johnson put up splits of .324/.403/.500 against LHP.   For his career he has hit .313/.378/.463 against LHP.  Doesn't this sound like someone the Yankees could have used in 2010?  I simply can't believe $800K kept them from signing him and I don't get it at all. 

Sergio Mitre is going to earn 800K this year and his role right now is 9th starter.  (Yup, that's right 9th starter think about it...Sabathia, AJ, Andy, Vazquez, Joba, Hughes, Aceves, Gaudin...Mitre!)  Wouldn't having an outfielder who could hit lefties be more valuable than Mitre to the Yankees as they are currently constructed?

I can only hope that this means Marcus Thames or Johnny Gomes are on their way on a minor league deal.  Otherwise, I will continue to scratch my head over the approach to the 25th man on the roster.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ever hear that song?  It's pretty funny and it really reminds me of the situation with Johnny Damon.  Stories like this one and several others keep talking about how Damon wants to come back to the Yankees. 

The thing I don't get is why Damon kept playing games with the Yankees in that case?  Why did he let Boras do the negotiating if he wanted to come back?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)