Bullpen Moves?

With Joba moving into the rotation, the Yankees will have to shake up their bullpen a bit.

It's becoming more and more clear that Ross Ohlendorf needs to spend some time in the minors, and that something is just not right with LaTroy Hawkins.

Hawkins seems like one of those cases where because of his contract, he's given a lot of wiggle room in the majors. That's really to bad, because his 6.75 ERA is downright terrible.

He's becoming the Kyle Farnsworth of last year. Each time he enters a game, Yankee fans cringe.

Batters are hitting .308 off him with runners in scoring position, and .317 overall with men on.

I think you'll see Chris Britton replace Ohlendorf soon. Who could replace Hawkins?

I think J.B Cox and Mark Melancon should keep pitching in the minors for a bit. They can be great, but lets give them time.

One name to look at is Dan Giese. He's a 31 year old journeyman starter who was having great success up until his last outing. He could take Hawkins spot on the roster and fill in as the long reliever for awhile. So basically you have Britton take over Hawkins roll, and Giese take over the roll Ohlendorf has been pitching.

This would only be temporary, until Cox, Melancon or even Jeff Karstens are ready.

But again, I doubt they move Hawkins. His contract will keep him afloat in the majors for awhile.

Yankees Have Options for the Pen

If there is such a thing as having to many options when it comes to the bullpen, then it's safe to say the Yankees currently have that problem.. The bullpen is such a vital part of a team. The Yankees will probably have some tough choices to make once Spring Training ends.

By all accounts, the bullpen has 3 spots that are up for the taking. Girardi has said he won't necessarily put a left handed specialist in the pen, unless someone really stands out to him.

Today, the Yankees play an intrasquad game. There are 13 pitchers due to pitch today, and 12 of them are fighting for those 3 bullpen spots.

But that's only part of the list of players fighting for a spot. There is also Chase Wright, Kei Igawa, Brian Bruney, Chris Britton, Jose Veras and Jeffrey Marquez (Though he is real a long-shot).
All of them are sure to get work in the next few days as the Yankees try and make a choice on who to take with them when they had north to New York.

If I had to guess, I'd say the Yankees would first look to take one long-relief man. That would have to be either Rasner, Igawa or Karstens.. I'll just guess it's Karstens because he has the experience and pitched pretty well over the winter for Team USA

I also think the Yankees will give Edwar Ramirez a shot early on in the season. He has a bit of MLB experience and offers a change of pace from all the hard stuff the rest of the bullpen throws. He got knocked around pretty hard in the majors, but its hard to ignore his numbers in the minor leagues

I also think that Giradri will decide to take at least one left hander. Again, I think Igawa has a chance at this spot. The Yankees will give him every chance to succeed. I think the wild card here will be Billy Traber. He has had a spotty career, but has always handled left handed hitters fairly well. That said, there has been word that Sean Henn has been pitching well in the early going, so it wouldn't surprise me if he made the team too. He's also out of options, so he could be gone if they don't add him to the MLB roster.

Who do you think should fill in the last 3 bullpen spots?

No Santana for the Yankees

At least for now..

We all know that Hank has told everyone that the dealing for Santana is over.. I'm always hesitant in the world of baseball to call anything 'over' because, we know that nothing is 'over' until theres 0 chance left..

Personally I couldn't be happier about it.

I'll never argue that having Santana at the top of the rotation is a bad thing, but, hes 29 years old with a lot of innings on that arm already.

Meanwhile, Hughes and Kennedy's' journey is just beginning, and I for one want to watch it. I would have been very sorry to see them go.

I think a rotation made up of (in no real order..) Wang, Pettitte, Moose, Kennedy, Hughes, and of course, Joba, has the potential to be very good.


The Yankees really need to keep on focusing on their bullpen.. Joba needs to join the rotation, and I don't want any second-guessing that move this year because of struggles by the bullpen..

Can Farnsworth hold his own in a set up role? The Yankees brass is staying optimistic.. But we all know we'll be holding our breath with every pitch..

The bullpen really will be the most important part of this team.. It seems like the Yankees know that this year, so I'm feeling optimistic too.

A-Rod Probably Back.. So Now What?

Alright so if the rumors are true, and Alex is back in pinstripes, what does that mean for the Yankees?

Well for one thing, it means the Yankees will be fielding basically the same offense as they did this past year.

It also means that they now really need to focus on their pitching.

I'm honestly not sure how to feel about this. I do like Alex, but his playoff record since 2004 really does scare me.

And what is this going to do to the clubhouse chemistry now? He blew the team off, didn't return calls from the other players and basically turned his back on them...

That does honestly worry me.

But... Again, if the Yankees can get some pitching, and solidify the bullpen, the Yankees will once again be a team to fear.

Don't Trade for a Third Baseman

Ok, heres my stance. The Yankees should not trade anybody for a third baseman.

They shouldn't trade for Crede, Atkins or Miguel Cabrera.

Furthermore, they shouldn't sign Mike Lowell.

Crede is a medicore player, coming off major back surgery. Plus, he'd likely cost the Yankees Johnny Damon. This would be a bad deal for the Yankees.

Go ahead and take a second to look at Garret Atkins home/away spilts.
He has hit .349 in Colorado, and .254 everywhere else..

Cabrera is a great player, no doubt. But hes going to cost the Yankees WAY to much. You don't trade stud pitching.

Mike Lowell is a great player at Fenway, but he would not be suited for the Yankees. Take a look at this article and this spray chart by River Ave Blues He would also more than likely be looking for a 4 year deal. Thats just to long.

The Yankees #1 concern this offseason, after Posada and Rivera, should be the BULLPEN.

Focus on building a dominent bullpen.