Yankees

2012 Yankees Pitching Staff: Seven Guys?

The mainstream media has universally praised the Pineda/Montero trade because they focus on Pineda being a potential #1 starter. I am the only public dissenter, really. My issue with the trade has to do with getting rid of Jesus Montero. We already had good pitching and allegedly a bunch of AA or AAA pitchers with a high ceiling. Nova was better after he was recalled last year. Pineda is NOT King Felix, Jr. just because they came from the same freaking team. Remember the Indians had two guys like that?

The last time Cashman got a young pitcher via major trade was Jeff Weaver, so just because Cashman actually got someone under 30 in a trade this time (as opposed to Randy Johnson) doesn’t make him a genius. If it was a free agent signing, I would have no issues. Better yet if we had homegrown Pineda I would have no issues. But it was for JESUS, who would have hit so well that Cashman and Joe would be forced to play him every day.

Finally, we have to see which of the 7 professional pitchers make the cut in the rotation. I have to assume CC, Pineda, Kuroda, and Freddy will start because they all were signed with the expressed intention of starting. AJ still has two years left, although there’s always a chance he would be traded for a bag of baseballs. Hughes just got a raise in arbitration, and he would be an expensive 6th inning guy. Nova was the #2 starter in the playoffs, for Zeus’ sake. Two extra starters is not for insurance. Someone is headed to the pen or will be traded for garbage. Even if Hughes gets injured we still have 6 full time starters. The 6th or 7th starter should have been guys like Noesi or the new Killer B’s.

2012 yankees starting pitching staffThe point becomes moot if 2 starters get injured, but that shouldn’t be a PLAN.

Tony Vahl: Agreed. Young AAA guys should be ready to go if anyone gets hurt, or rubber arm long relief types who can spot start on occasion. Having six or seven actual starters is OVERKILL.

Unless they plan on going with a 6 or 7 man rotation.

Hughes or Nova are the logical guys to trade, given the reality Cashman has created. A.J. can be traded if there is a major injury in Spring Training to a desperate team, maybe. Otherwise, we’re going to lose a young guy to make room for guys like Kuroda and Freddy.

And I have no ill will towards Kuroda and Freddy. It’s Cashman fault. He has created this mess.

I suppose if he resigns Damon and Matsui, then we’ll have a similar logjam in the outfield and DH, but I’d be happy if those guys were back. I guess that means it won’t happen, since Cashman is a jerk.

I watched a 7-minute roundtable discussion yesterday on YES, that had some NY Post + Daily News writers, too, in addition to the regular analysts.

They all touted Cashman as a genius, using the logic of “the pitching staff is stronger”

I mean, yeah, it’s stronger…I guess. It eliminates the uncertainty of a couple of guys…I guess.

But it still ignores losing Montero.

They made the New Yawk hubris mistake of saying DH is not an issue since the hitting is so great.

Last I checked the Yanks pitching staff held it’s own against the Tigers. It was the hitting that was baffled by the Tigers.

The analysts floated the same tired idea that Michael Kay and Mike Francesa get off on: A-Rod and Derek Jeter as revolving DH. Yawn.

They said Cashman will NOT be inclined to get into a bidding war for Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, or Vladamir Guerrero, as those days are over [LOL].

(As much as it would be cool to get Damon or Godzilla back for their clutch hitting, I remember Ruben Sierra II, Tino Martinez II, and Nick Johnson II, and those sequels sucked.)

Carlos Pena went back to the Rays for $7 million. He would have fit nicely in the Yankees DH slot, maybe would have jacked 30 HRs, more than A-Rod.

They said Cashman still wants Eric Chavez back, but he’s talking to other teams. They said Cashman won’t spend money on a bench.

So for now they penciled in Andruw Jones, until an unemployed veteran may beg for a job before the season starts.

As far as the 2012 Yankees starting rotation, they said Hughes has to prove himself in Spring Training. They see him in the bullpen. They also think AJ will be traded.

John Flaherty was the only one to mention that Noesi- who was packaged with Montero- could do well as a starter.

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  2 comments for “2012 Yankees Pitching Staff: Seven Guys?”

  1. Tony Vahl
    January 22, 2012 at 10:25 AM

    Based on that, I’m more convinced than ever that Super Nova is going to get dealt.

    I would love to see Chavez return, to play DH and back-up Alex. I have no faith in Cashman.

    I guess the Yankees don’t have any money, either, LOL. Francessa was actually floating that notion on WFAN this week: that the new luxury tax will prevent the Yankees from spending. Okay. I guess the good times are truly over. We will have parity in baseball in the coming years.

    • DailySkew
      January 22, 2012 at 10:59 AM

      Yep, it seems as if all the media experts from NY are tweeting what Cashman says about being careful with money. The joke is that the Yankees payroll has increased to around $212 million. And of course, Cashman had non-taxable $20 million+ pocket change for Yu Darvish’s bid.

      To think that a couple of years ago, Jesus Montero + Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain could have netted Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay, and in 2012 Jesus AND Noesi netted a guy with only one year under his belt.

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