With the Yankees struggling so much to assemble a healthy five-man rotation, it was only inevitable that rumors will begin to surface about a trade between the Yankees and Phillies, given the latter’s surplus of starting pitchers and Brian Cashman’s regret a few years ago at letting Jon Lieber get away.
Not only does Philly have six starters on the big league roster, but J.A. Happ — another lefty — has been dominating International League hitters (2.05 ERA, 10.23 K/9, .194 BAA) providing the appearance of organizational depth when it comes to starting pitching.
But unless the Phillies get a deal that is decidedly in their favor, it’s hard to believe they can afford to move a starter. The reassignment of Brett Myers to the bullpen has coincided with the team’s stretch of good play, and Freddy Garcia is still struggling to move the radar gun above 90. While Happ has been good, he’s also walked 13 in 22 innings.
The bottom line is that the Phillies’ depth at starting pitching isn’t as strong as it appears on the surface. And since the team is winning, perhaps the Phillies shouldn’t fix what ain’t broke.
Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".
