Odds & Ends: Yankees, Marquis, Washburn

Rocks:

Sabathia
Burnett
Pettitte

Fringe/Questionable:

Chamberlain
Wang

I think if the price isn't too steep, go after a quality arm. Wang was questionable before his last setback so they need some stability there.

"Yanks should put Hughes back in the rotation and make Joba the set up guy. "

A month or so ago, I would have agreed with this but the way Hughes has pitched, I say let him ride out his success and continue to be the bridge to 'Mo.

Joba needs to get his head straight, trust his stuff and throw strikes.

InvalidUserID I agree with you on Hughes. A month ago I was praying the Yanks would switch Hughes and Jobas roles but now its too late in the season. Hughes is just too valuable to them in the bullpen right now and has already gotten used to his role. It would be too risky to send him down to the minors to stretch him out and make him a starter again this season. Plus you see the confidence exuding off him at this point. Let him ride this high into a rotation spot next year. Hopefully Joba can mature a bit this year and Mitre can give us some consistent innings.

And Jake let me correct you on your statement. Cashmans word is usually as good as gold. He NEVER said this year that the Yankees are done making moves. He just said do not expect a major move at the deadline. Hinske is far from a major acquisition.

I think Mitre will get a start soon and then Wang should be coming off the DL soon. I think the Yanks want to give him another shot.

- Yankees GM Brian Cashman on the club's starting pitching depth: "Right now I don't feel like we need a guy..."

Sergio Mitre is the answer! With his lifetime 10-23 record and 5.23 ERA he will eat the AL East alive.

"Rght now I don't feel like we need a guy"

translation

lets see what we have in Wang before we decide to make a move

The Yankees are just playing to get to the postseason at this point. Once you get there its a 3 man rotation in the division series and probably the same in ALCS (if the Yankees make it that far or to the playoffs at all).

Especially the way the Yankees bullpen would be setup in the postseason with Hughes and Aceves being joined by Joba and Wang/whoever the Yankes 5th starter is.

"As are about 10-15 other pitchers in MLB. There are a LOT of pitchers with big IP counts. Some teams even have multiples."

I would keep an eye on guys like Clayton Kershaw, Rick Porcello, Yovani Gallardo, Joba Chamberlain, David Price, Brandon Morrow, and Brett Anderson going forward.

Some guys are getting pushed harder than others, but a couple of
those guys just recently turned 20.

im srry i meant to say I dont see the Yankees not getting a starter if they dont get Halladay

"Who are the first 3 starters? CC, Burnett and...Pettitte?"

I meant that if they acquired Halladay or Lee...sorry shouldve clarified that

Don't need Halladay. First of all Joba must go to the bullpen.
Wang is getting too many injuries and is not pitching well so don't be surprised if he leaves.
Pettite is a free agent at the end of this season.
That leaves us with Sabathia and Burnett and probabaly not hughes or aceves. A 2 man rotation. Wow.
If Cashman has a brain Halladay is the big answer and peavy is good for our offseason.

Posted by: Kenny | July 18, 2009 at 07:55 PM
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What? Hughes will absolutely be a starter in 2010. I can see a rotation of CC, AJ, Wang, Joba and Hughes in 2010 w/ no reservations. If an opportunity comes along via FA or thru a trade that doesn't cost the entire farm, unlike Halladay, then the Yanks might be tempted to add a pitcher but it would have to be a legitimate stud. A smart move would be to sign Sheets to a hefty 1 year w/ incentive plus an option and just sit on him. Go into 2010 w/ a mix of CC, AJ, Wang, Sheets, Joba and Hughes. Depending on how well Wang finishes this year, he could be an attractive and relatively inexpensive pitcher to acquire on an open market.

Yeah, I could almost understand people who simply feel that Joba is better out of the pen because of his stuff/demeanor. I disagree with the arguement but I can listen to it. However, idiots who point to his inability to go more than 6 IP are the dumbest, or at least most short-sighted people ever. It's not that Joba CAN'T go past the 6th, it's that he runs his pitch count up to 100 by the 6th inning and with that being his pre-determined pitch count he gets taken out. However, walks, wildness and pitching more efficiently is something Joba has the ability to affect. He hasn't given up a lot of Hrs this year, his ko/9 is right around 8 which is great and his hits/9 isn't much over 1. Walks, control and maintaining his velocity from the 1st to the end of the game are his main issues. Ironically, he seems to throw harder as the game progresses instead of his FB getting slower which is the case for most pitcers. People seem to forget that Joba didn't throw a single inning of proffesional ball until 2007 when he blew thru A, AA, AAA and made his debut with the Yanks in Sept out the pen. So far in his total career he's MAYBE pitched a total of 40 starts thru single A and the majors. If anything he's learning on the job, as opposed to guys like Hanson, Hughes, Cueto, Gallardo and Niemann who had the benefit of 50-70 starts in the minors prior to making their mlb debut. Even David Price and Rick Porecello, who were both drafted 1 year later in 2007, had the benefit of twice as many starts in the minors than Joba had.

didnt cashman say he wasnt taking part of the teixeria sweepstakes?look qht happened. he took action at the last minute and signed him. the same with arod. he does a good job of keeping quiet about certain trades.halladay does things joba and wang cant. he throws strikes and works quickly. he is a guy who knows how to pitch and him and cc as a 1 2 co,o aswell as burnett is just dominant. and halladay will be dealt anywhere where they get good players. so dont rule out within the division the yanks have a deep farm system and have the ppl to do it. heres some:
kennady,brackman,jackson(plz dont), montero,pena,hughes, joba, romone,cervelli, and people forget shelly duncan who is hitting over 20 hrs this year in AAA.
they need to do it quick. i dont trust joba,aceves,mitre and am starting to cringe when pettite takes the mound in a big situation.

and about the joba situation his spot is in the pen he throws to many pitches and does not get far in the game his fast ball is now going on an average mid 80s to lower90s. he needs to start dominating and turn it around fast cuz we desperately need a guy who will go the distance, huges also is a great relive pitcher. look at him and (at least i) see a bright life after mariano rivera

Nick i know they are both relatively young and yes hughes does look like he can handle the closers role after the sad day Mo retires but so does Joba and I think Hughes is going to make a better starter than Joba so i stick w/ Joba in the pen

I disagree with Wang as well because you dont go from a 2 time 19 game winner to a 10 era. I think the Yankees know that this is there chance to get him for cheap and he might go to Arb again this year

I was all for trying Joba out in the rotation this year but i dont think he will go deep into games because he wastes pitches with 2 strikes.

Also Mo was a starter in the beginning of his career as well. I believe in his first year in 95 he started 10 games or so but he moved to the bullpen and lights out. What i am trying to say is that I would rather have a dominant closer than a good starter

forgot wangs contracts up this season so odds are (unless he has an amazing 2nd half with at lesdt 6 innings a start and an under 4.00 era) hes done and so is matsui

Posted by: Nick | July 18, 2009 at 10:02 PM
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I don't think Wang will be a FA until winter of 2011 if I'm not mistaken.

Posted by: YanksFanSince78 | July 18, 2009 at 10:15 PM

Wang went to arbitration this year but he signed a 1 year 5 million dollor contract

Wang went to arbitration this year but he signed a 1 year 5 million dollor contract

Posted by: Phil | July 18, 2009 at 10:18 PM
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So? I know for a fact he isn't a FA at the end of this year. I'm pretty sure he was a Super 2 guy which, correct me if I'm wrong, started his arb clock early. He came up in mid-2005. Start his clock in 2006 and you have 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11. So I know he's not a FA until, the earliest after 2010 but I'm pretty sure it's actually after 2011.

YFS78 i agree with that 2 but the perfect time for it is spring training if anything with gardner i would try to fix his swing up his hits r mostly little looping line drives he needs to have a more compact swing and also more plate disapline because lately hes been swinging at bad pitches and just poping them up into the infield or striking out if he can turn into a guy who can put up 160+ hits a .290 average with 15 hrs 70 rbi and anywhere from 30-70 sb he could be one of the leagues most feared lead off hitters for years and he has the ability to do it.

and phil wangs era is a whooping 9.46 with 42 innings pitched 66 hits and 45 earned runs also with 2 hbp and 19bb yea i doubt he'll have a shot at another 19 win season

by the way has any one heard anything of the switch pitcher pat vandiett and isnt he a closer in the minors?

The Joba debate may not be an issue anymore if he gets traded to the Jays for Halladay. i really hope that neither him nor Hughes gets traded. If im the yanks i go with Montero (bc I have been hearing that he is not a very good catcher and 1b is Tex's for the next 10 years) Ajax and a couple of pitching prospects. If they dont say yes then if im cashman the next call i make is to Arizona and ask for either Garland or Doug Davis

yea Vendetti played for Staten Island last year and was in the running for minor league player of the year but if the put him in a middlke inning set-up thats great bc no matter what he is alwayseither lefty lefty or righty righty... By the way wats the deal if there is a switch-hitter up

No, he needs to stop walking guys and going into 3-2 counts. With better control (throwing more strikes) he can get out of innings sooner. The greatest difference between how Phil Hughes pitched this year compared to 2007-08, is that he's aggressive in the strike zone and is throwing more strikes. Even Joba throwing in the 93-95 mph range has a better FB than most pitchers in baseball and I guarantee you his FB will look faster when he's locating his off speed stuff. Pitching has a lot more to do with location and set up than it does with beging able to throw in the high 90's (even though that helps). Look at Greinke...he doesn't light the radar gun up often over the 94 mph range. What he does well, is locate his pitches and pitches with purpose. Joba's expectations are unreal. Lack of experience in general and lack of experience as a SP is the problem. When he's coming out of the pen there's less thinking to worry about. You throw 1 of 2 pitches to 3 batters and then you're gone.

How unrealstic is it to expect a pitcher who had a total of 44 career starts...

2007 (year he started pitching after being drafted in 2006)

A+: 7 start
AA+: 7 start
AAA: 1 start
MLB: 0

2008

MLB: 12 starts

2009

MLB: 17 starts

...to be anywhere near a finished product at age 23? Give me a break! He had 12 starts before making his mlb debut and this really is his 1st year as a starter from begining to end. With the exception of a couple of guys (Lincecum and maybe Kershaw) most young pitchers get to have 40-60 starts before they make their mlb debut. David Price is struggling this year and I'm sure there's ZERO talk of sending him to the pen. At the end of the day Joba's peripherals are terrible and except for his last 2 or 3 starts he hasn't been roughed up much this year.

i think they made an offical rule ala the pat vandiett rule. ita tht after one pitch is thrown u have to stay with that side check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiqLaWFufms

Nick: Gardner will never be a 15 hr guy. At best he will be a line drive gap to gap hitter which is a perfect combo considering his speed. Gardner is actually a pretty strong , well built guy. I could see him being a 30 dbls, 10 triples 40-50 SB guy if he learns to play to his strengths and not upper cutting things. Of late he's shown a very level swing and can be a line drive guy.

I would not be so fast to count Wang out. I think his preperation for ST which DID not include running played a major role in his decline this year. I think he, and the coaches, were to concerned with re-injuring his foot. His velocity and manipulation of his sinker were night and day after coming off the DL. I think if he can pitch well (4.00 ERA ) after he comes back and then has a full off-season to properly prepare himself then I think we can see the old Wang back. One thing that has become clear is that he might need to add another pitch or rather just improve on his slider and change up. I heard he was messing arounf with a cutter as well. I would think teaching the young guys to throw a cutter would be automatic seeing as how you have the master Mo Rivera in-house to teach it.

Nick all the hype with Montero is that he can hit he just cant play good defense and they cant move him to first because of Tex so they have no place for him. Also rommnie is one of their top prospects and is a catcher. But as much as I want Halladay and I am a win now guy i dont want to see a 80s again even though i wasnt around to see the 80s

YFS78 mariano has said he is done after his contract. although he is still one of th ebest closers in the league and his stuff is very good. amazing control and a 92+ mph fastball i would be surprised if he did pitch in 2011

Posted by: Nick | July 18, 2009 at 10:33 PM
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If Mo is still lights out in 2010 then I can't see why he wouldn't come back for another year, especially if Jeter resigns which I'm sure will happen. I do think the Yanks have other guys who they can groom or acquire to replace Mo. Like I said, Melancon has the stuff to be a good back end guy. If not then Mike Gonzales, Jose Valverde, JJ Putz, Billy Wagner, Houston Street and Kerry Woods are all guys who will hit the FA market after this season and the following (same year Mo's deal ends). A lot easier to throw money at one of them, groom Melancon or RObertson or try to convert prospects like Nova, McAllister, Betances, etc than to just give up on Joba as a starter.

I would much rather Gardner get on base then have him hit 15 hrs

i would rather him on base but i would like to see things like him hitting 110 hrs a year work the count nd get on have 150+ hits with any where from 30-60 sbs thats the ideal centerfielder and with the short porch in right he accually could hit 10 a year if he starts hitting the ball more square instead of getting inder neath it rather than poping it up

10 i meant

i have a feeling that gardner wont break Bonds' record

bruney is hurt to much and goes on streaks he either has his a game or he just suckss but i didnt even think melancon was that good so he is a possiblity

oh yea i forgot about that so he will definatly go back and mabye on after mo gets a few saves give him a rest and give jopba a test drive

i forgot mo started his career as a starter 2

yep and 12 years later a baseball legend

retires*

very... the day no one ever wished we would see but hopefully once one dynasty ends an new one is just waiting to be

i have never seen anything besides Jeter Mo posada so this is very weird for me

me either 3 best players of there kind never see anything like em again jeter has a good 6-8 yrs in him nd jorgie is in the 2nd year of his 4 yr contract. amazing players 2hof memebers*mabye theyll pick posada 2 and there wht i grew up wit to so yea.. u never know tht might be the future coaching staff:

jeter as manager
posada as bench coach
mariano as pitching coach
arod as hitting coach

The future old-timers days are gotta be great Moose Mo Jeter Jorge Andy the whole dyansty will be there

yea... i hate how so many people are jumping on Girardi this year i mean they are 15 games over at the break thats a gfreat year

The only thing i dont like is that i expected him to play smallball and he has not

If I had a say in this matter the Yanks should pass on Halladay. It's obviously his value to any organization is welcome, but the Yankee's have what they need in the form of front line starters. I have a feeling Mitre will be a solid 4 or 5 filler, for the time being, but we'll see on Tuesday. There are other pitchers that could become available.

The truth is the Yanks are fairly stacked in the minors (no one seems to want to agree with this) but it is the truth.

I think first thing the Yanks need to do is get Montero playing time in right or left. No? If this guys bat is going to be as good as people say it is, no way you part with him.

You have 3 outfielders coming off the books after this season. Good. I like Damon, but I do not feel we offer him any extension in the form a 1 yr deal, etc. The others speak for themselves. After 2010, you have Jeter, Posada and Mo coming off. Mo you offer a 1 year (provided 2010 is an acceptable performance) Jeter a 2 year contract with bonus incentives. People will disagree with me on this, but he is absolutely necessary in the clubhouse until retired. Plus him and Mo fill seats. They'll pay for themselves as they always have. Posada should be an interesting one to evaluate.

You have Cervelli, Romine, Sanchez available soon. Molina will be gone as well.

Montero if possible in the outfield with Jackson and Gardner and Swisher

Pena as the back-up infielder. Cano, Tex and Arod are secure for at the minimum, next 3-4 years

I actually truly do not want the Yanks to make a play for Holiday, Bay, or any other outfielder this season unless imperative. Get Montero in the field in Trenton now!

A line up next year:

1) jeter
2) cano
3) texeria
4) arod
5) montero
6) posado
7) swisher/melky/gardner
8) jackson
9) cervelli, romine, sanchez

The yanks need to focus on two things and two things only in my opinion a short stop for 2011 and beyond (maybe pena) and another pitcher, but again there is a promising bunch in the minors and I think it is safe to say that Hughes is becoming exactly what everyone expected. Just nasty..6 Ko's on Friday night. again and again he is just a kid...he will be a front line force in 2 years. Someone once commented a future cy young candidate. You know he has the stuff. Give it time..He is number 3 behind CC and AJ 2010 in the rotation. I honestly think what Joba needs is just a good ass kicking to knock that attitude out of him. His stuff is good, it is 100% his head and I see when they talk to him in the post game reports he is shwred, blunt and arrogant, but he is not cocky. He just needs to be pounded in the face once, that will get the wheels moving....

Well Joba doing ok today is seems. Just tuned in. Right Yanksfan Montero seems like a great match in LF. Even if 1st were an open position, I don't see him (from I hear) being an agile 1st baseman....

Yes Montero is currently rated top 3 hitting prospect. If this continues he may take the top position as best hitting prospect in all of baseball...