After an exit from the 2011 American League Divisional Series by the hands of the Detroit Tigers, Yankees GM Brian Cashman focused this off season on the Yankees starting pitching depth (as well as a mistress from hell)
Granted the 2011 Yanks were blessed with unlikely contributions from Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, and the emergence of rookie Ivan Nova, the lack of shutdown starters in the playoffs (including CC Sabathia's own poor performance) was the Yankees ultimate undoing. Although Nova was impressive in Game 1, his forearm tightened up in Game 5 and Yankees manager Joe Girardi was forced to piecemeal the bullpen the rest of the way.
The first item on Cashman's list was locking up CC Sabathia, who had a contract clause which allowed him to waive the rest of his years in pinstripes and enter the free agency market. Luckily for the Yankees, a deal was done before Sabathia opted-out and Cashman had to sweeten the pot from the original 2009 contact to get their ace to stay put. Even though Sabathia didn't pitch well in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs, his numbers and his performance during the regular seasons are worth their weight in gold. Speaking of weight, the Yankees brass had a pow-wow session with their ace and gave the helpful suggestion that he should lose a few pounds.
While all the NY media attention was focused on the football Giants and their upcoming playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Cashman had a big day for himself by first trading highly touted catching prospect Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for their starting pitching phenom Micheal Pineda. Then just moments later, the Yankees announced the signing of starting pitching free agent Hiroki Kuroda. Pineda was very impressive as a rookie for Seattle, but Montero was the Yankees' biggest blue chip item and previously had been linked to trading for drastically more proven talent such as Cliff Lee back in 2010. The Yanks even called up Montero in the 2011 season and his bat looked impressive, he even got a few hits in the playoffs. It seemed as if he was being groomed to becoming the next big slugger in Yankees franchise history, but instead he was traded for a starter who draws comparisons to the great Bob Gibson. Only time would tell if that was a good trade, but it was certainly a bold move on Cashman's part. Early on things don't look so terrific about it as Pineda's fastball wasn't it's usual 95+mph self during spring training, plus he was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis, and there's whispers he didn't come into camp in the best of shape. Both Cashman and Girardi harped on Pineda's changeup to move the conversation away from the lack of velocity during the spring, and a lot of it reminds me of 2005 when Yankees management kept promising Randy Johnson's fastball will increase when the warmer months come. The difference here is Pineda is 23 years old, not 100.
Kuroda was a low risk signing and is expected to be nothing more than a number 4 starter to eat up innings and keep the Yanks in games. Of course, he's not in the Candyland NL West division anymore, so it remains to be seen if he can get real hitters out.
The reliable Freddy Garcia was resigned to another one-year deal which left seven starters for five spots, someone became expendable, and that someone was AJ Burnett. When he was signed in 2009 by Cashman it was a necessity at the time, and did appear to be a good addition as he was key to the World Series championship that first season, but from there it was a downhill slide of inconsistency and frustration. The tipping point must have been the game in Minnesota when Burnett angrily flipped the ball to Girardi after getting pulled from yet another lousy performance. Burnett ran into the clubhouse afterwards and it appeared Girardi had to force him to come out to the dugout to at least see his teammates finish the inning, as is customary in baseball. Burnett did breath some life back into the Yankees with a Game 4 victory against Detroit in the playoffs, but it wasn't enough to save his place in the locker room. After working the lines to get rid of Burnett, Cashman was finally able to work something out to send him packing to the Pittsburgh Pirates for godknowswho.
Another reason Burnett became expendable is that all the while fan-favorite Andy Pettitte had been lurking in the shadows and begun preliminary discussions with Cashman about coming out of retirement to pitch for the 2012 squad. Things looked grim concerning Pettitte's return with the additions of Pineda and Kuroda, but after a spring training appearance from the lefty, the Yankees front office was convinced enough to ink Pettitte to a one-year deal. Pettitte isn't expected to be ready to join the team until May, but its clear he's going to be babied along the entire season as his real value is in the playoffs where he holds the record for most wins as a starter.
The bullpen was a big strength for the Yankees in 2011 and looks to be that way again for 2012. The biggest story is whether this will be Mariano Rivera's last season as the closer, which has Yankee fans petrified. Rivera has stated he'll reveal his plans towards the end of the season, but from previous comments, it seems like this will be his final go-around. Then again, Pettitte wasn't able to stay away from the game when he knew he still could perform, so that's a wait-n-see from Mo. The bullpen looked like it was going to get a shot in the arm with an early return from Joba Chamberlain as he was rehapping from Tommy John surgery, but then a nasty trampoline accident at home left Joba with a broken ankle, and likely ended any hopes he'll pitch this season, or ever again in pinstripes.
Offense, other than showing up in the playoffs, wasn't an issue for the Yankees in 2011, and there wasn't much to be done by Cashman. Basically all the main cogs were still under contract, Nick Swisher's option was picked up and catcher Russell Martin was resigned for another year. With Jorge Posada retiring, Cashman wanted to pick up another left-handed slugger to fill the DH spot and after names such as Matsui and Damon were tossed around, the job went to Raul Ibanez since he could at least play the outfield some.
The DH spot would've been perfect for Jesus Montero, since his catching skills weren't major league ready, but the age of Jeter and A-Rod is always an issue and that DH spot is going to be needed by those two throughout the season. There wasn't enough at-bats for Montero in that spot, so that's another reason he was shipped off to Seattle. With A-Rod, another important factor is going to be keeping him healthy. He really hasn't had a full season since his 2007 MVP year, and last season he missed hitting 30 or more homeruns for the first time since 1995. The Yankees offense was very potent last season with him missing much of the time, so if he could play 140 or more games in 2012, then this team will score even more runs.
As the way things stand now, the 2012 squad looks to be improved from a season ago. Girardi finally put Teixeira's salary aside and moved Cano into the 3-hole and had Tex go to the 5th spot in the order. The move should benefit both players. It's hard to expect Curtis Granderson to hit another 41 homeruns, but if he could even hit 25-30 of them and play the same great defense in centerfield he displayed last season, the Yanks will gladly accept it. Although Jorge Posada was a fan-favorite, his presence last season was a dark cloud hanging over the lineup as his hitting skills were diminished and his inflexibility to play the field put a strain on the roster. The addition of Ibanez brings someone who can hit for a little more average, produce more homeruns as well as RBIs, plus play the outfield and not hog up the DH spot. The bench also looks solid with the returns of Eric Chavez and Andrew Jones, plus Eduardo Nunez was still in the Yankees' system. The other dark cloud of AJ Burnett is also gone from the starting rotation and by June, barring no setbacks or injuries, the rotation should be Sabathia-Pettitte-Nova-Kuroda-Pineda. This scenario would leave Hughes and Garcia for the bullpen, but if Pineda or Pettitte have any issues, there's trustworthy starters to back them up. The bullpen looks fine and the ending combo of Soriano-Robertson-Rivera is probably the best in baseball.
This season could be tricky with the new Wild Card bracket allowing more teams to compete for the playoffs, so there's an emphasis on winning the division, or else a team has to face a sudden death match-up. The Yankees look equipped to make the playoffs, so the question is going to be can their starters throw shutdown performances in those big games, and can somebody get clutch hits the way A-Rod did during 2009?
Here we go again...
Granted the 2011 Yanks were blessed with unlikely contributions from Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, and the emergence of rookie Ivan Nova, the lack of shutdown starters in the playoffs (including CC Sabathia's own poor performance) was the Yankees ultimate undoing. Although Nova was impressive in Game 1, his forearm tightened up in Game 5 and Yankees manager Joe Girardi was forced to piecemeal the bullpen the rest of the way.
The first item on Cashman's list was locking up CC Sabathia, who had a contract clause which allowed him to waive the rest of his years in pinstripes and enter the free agency market. Luckily for the Yankees, a deal was done before Sabathia opted-out and Cashman had to sweeten the pot from the original 2009 contact to get their ace to stay put. Even though Sabathia didn't pitch well in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs, his numbers and his performance during the regular seasons are worth their weight in gold. Speaking of weight, the Yankees brass had a pow-wow session with their ace and gave the helpful suggestion that he should lose a few pounds.
While all the NY media attention was focused on the football Giants and their upcoming playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Cashman had a big day for himself by first trading highly touted catching prospect Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for their starting pitching phenom Micheal Pineda. Then just moments later, the Yankees announced the signing of starting pitching free agent Hiroki Kuroda. Pineda was very impressive as a rookie for Seattle, but Montero was the Yankees' biggest blue chip item and previously had been linked to trading for drastically more proven talent such as Cliff Lee back in 2010. The Yanks even called up Montero in the 2011 season and his bat looked impressive, he even got a few hits in the playoffs. It seemed as if he was being groomed to becoming the next big slugger in Yankees franchise history, but instead he was traded for a starter who draws comparisons to the great Bob Gibson. Only time would tell if that was a good trade, but it was certainly a bold move on Cashman's part. Early on things don't look so terrific about it as Pineda's fastball wasn't it's usual 95+mph self during spring training, plus he was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis, and there's whispers he didn't come into camp in the best of shape. Both Cashman and Girardi harped on Pineda's changeup to move the conversation away from the lack of velocity during the spring, and a lot of it reminds me of 2005 when Yankees management kept promising Randy Johnson's fastball will increase when the warmer months come. The difference here is Pineda is 23 years old, not 100.
Kuroda was a low risk signing and is expected to be nothing more than a number 4 starter to eat up innings and keep the Yanks in games. Of course, he's not in the Candyland NL West division anymore, so it remains to be seen if he can get real hitters out.
The reliable Freddy Garcia was resigned to another one-year deal which left seven starters for five spots, someone became expendable, and that someone was AJ Burnett. When he was signed in 2009 by Cashman it was a necessity at the time, and did appear to be a good addition as he was key to the World Series championship that first season, but from there it was a downhill slide of inconsistency and frustration. The tipping point must have been the game in Minnesota when Burnett angrily flipped the ball to Girardi after getting pulled from yet another lousy performance. Burnett ran into the clubhouse afterwards and it appeared Girardi had to force him to come out to the dugout to at least see his teammates finish the inning, as is customary in baseball. Burnett did breath some life back into the Yankees with a Game 4 victory against Detroit in the playoffs, but it wasn't enough to save his place in the locker room. After working the lines to get rid of Burnett, Cashman was finally able to work something out to send him packing to the Pittsburgh Pirates for godknowswho.
Another reason Burnett became expendable is that all the while fan-favorite Andy Pettitte had been lurking in the shadows and begun preliminary discussions with Cashman about coming out of retirement to pitch for the 2012 squad. Things looked grim concerning Pettitte's return with the additions of Pineda and Kuroda, but after a spring training appearance from the lefty, the Yankees front office was convinced enough to ink Pettitte to a one-year deal. Pettitte isn't expected to be ready to join the team until May, but its clear he's going to be babied along the entire season as his real value is in the playoffs where he holds the record for most wins as a starter.
The bullpen was a big strength for the Yankees in 2011 and looks to be that way again for 2012. The biggest story is whether this will be Mariano Rivera's last season as the closer, which has Yankee fans petrified. Rivera has stated he'll reveal his plans towards the end of the season, but from previous comments, it seems like this will be his final go-around. Then again, Pettitte wasn't able to stay away from the game when he knew he still could perform, so that's a wait-n-see from Mo. The bullpen looked like it was going to get a shot in the arm with an early return from Joba Chamberlain as he was rehapping from Tommy John surgery, but then a nasty trampoline accident at home left Joba with a broken ankle, and likely ended any hopes he'll pitch this season, or ever again in pinstripes.
Offense, other than showing up in the playoffs, wasn't an issue for the Yankees in 2011, and there wasn't much to be done by Cashman. Basically all the main cogs were still under contract, Nick Swisher's option was picked up and catcher Russell Martin was resigned for another year. With Jorge Posada retiring, Cashman wanted to pick up another left-handed slugger to fill the DH spot and after names such as Matsui and Damon were tossed around, the job went to Raul Ibanez since he could at least play the outfield some.
The DH spot would've been perfect for Jesus Montero, since his catching skills weren't major league ready, but the age of Jeter and A-Rod is always an issue and that DH spot is going to be needed by those two throughout the season. There wasn't enough at-bats for Montero in that spot, so that's another reason he was shipped off to Seattle. With A-Rod, another important factor is going to be keeping him healthy. He really hasn't had a full season since his 2007 MVP year, and last season he missed hitting 30 or more homeruns for the first time since 1995. The Yankees offense was very potent last season with him missing much of the time, so if he could play 140 or more games in 2012, then this team will score even more runs.
As the way things stand now, the 2012 squad looks to be improved from a season ago. Girardi finally put Teixeira's salary aside and moved Cano into the 3-hole and had Tex go to the 5th spot in the order. The move should benefit both players. It's hard to expect Curtis Granderson to hit another 41 homeruns, but if he could even hit 25-30 of them and play the same great defense in centerfield he displayed last season, the Yanks will gladly accept it. Although Jorge Posada was a fan-favorite, his presence last season was a dark cloud hanging over the lineup as his hitting skills were diminished and his inflexibility to play the field put a strain on the roster. The addition of Ibanez brings someone who can hit for a little more average, produce more homeruns as well as RBIs, plus play the outfield and not hog up the DH spot. The bench also looks solid with the returns of Eric Chavez and Andrew Jones, plus Eduardo Nunez was still in the Yankees' system. The other dark cloud of AJ Burnett is also gone from the starting rotation and by June, barring no setbacks or injuries, the rotation should be Sabathia-Pettitte-Nova-Kuroda-Pineda. This scenario would leave Hughes and Garcia for the bullpen, but if Pineda or Pettitte have any issues, there's trustworthy starters to back them up. The bullpen looks fine and the ending combo of Soriano-Robertson-Rivera is probably the best in baseball.
This season could be tricky with the new Wild Card bracket allowing more teams to compete for the playoffs, so there's an emphasis on winning the division, or else a team has to face a sudden death match-up. The Yankees look equipped to make the playoffs, so the question is going to be can their starters throw shutdown performances in those big games, and can somebody get clutch hits the way A-Rod did during 2009?
Here we go again...
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