With Andy Pettitte “officially” retiring the Yankees are down to a three man starting rotation. So how do they complete their pitching staff?
Obviously spring training will bring some answers, likely along with even more questions. But I don’t know any Yankee fan who thinks that Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon are really the answers, and there wouldn’t be the need to look that far back in the pasture if the Yankee management had enough confidence in Sergio Mitre or Ivan Nova.
Pettitte will be hard to replace. Not just because he is the all-time leader in post season wins, but he was a stabilizing presence for the Yankees and their fans. And in all honesty, while Pettitte says his days of taking the mound every five days are over, one has to wonder in the back of our minds whether or not Andy picks up the hotline to Brian Cashman once the Clemens/McNamee trials are over and the season underway.
Of course by that time the Yankees could have traded Jesus Montero for a front line starter. Trading within the same division is generally avoided, but Tampa Bay with a stable full of pitching would seem a likely partner right away, while losses during the season will flush out several pretenders who would like to acquire the power-hitting young catcher.
Freddy Garcia was more effective last year with the White Sox than I would have thought and with a really good bullpen in the Bronx, anyone who can give them five or six quality innings could start for a team with that much offense. So Garcia is certainly worth the spring training look and I think Nova can pitch – at least well enough to get the ball every five days.
And if all those wouldbees were just vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, that would be fine, which brings me to my answer for the Yankees – just give Joba Chamberlain the real chance to start that he deserves. True his early career numbers say he has been much better as a relief pitcher. But he really hasn’t been given the chance to fully develop as a starter.
Well, there is no time like the present.{jcomments on}