Rakuten Could Spoil Yankees Hopes

It's Tanaka or Bust

The Rakuten Golden Eagles are reportedly doing their best to talk star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka into staying one more year in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league. Rakuten would then use the year to try to sway Tanaka to stay a lot longer than that by making him a big money offer of their own. Even if he leaves after another year, the team will make some additional money off of him in the meantime.

The Yankees are among the teams that are counting on Tanaka getting posted to bolster their starting pitching staff. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and others are all expected to bid the max $20MM posting fee to the opportunity to negotiate with Tanaka in the 30 day window of opportunity. (The Golden Eagles CEO Hiroshi Mikitani was said to be furious at the league's owners for approving the new, much lower $20MM fee.)

Tanaka would then get in the middle of a bidding war that could crazier than when the Yankees and Red Sox went after Jose Contreras back in the 2002-2003 off-season.

Rakuten would have been much more willing to post Tanaka had the fee agreement not changed from a free for all to a low (by their standards) ceiling. The Red Sox bid over $51MM for Daisuke Matsuzaka prior to the 2007 season and the Texas Rangers bid slightly more than that to get the rights to the last young star pitcher from Japan, Yu Darvish, before the 2012 season.

Should Tanaka stay in Japan, the Yankees rotation will have a huge hole to fill behind CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ivan Nova. While the front office may be fine, for now, with Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren, etc., battling for the fifth and final spot in the rotation, they realize that the rest of their rotation is not guaranteed to be successul.

Sabathia struggled mightily in 2013, Nova was back to his 2011 form, but the Yankees need him to maintain that consistency, and Kuroda will be 39-years old when the season starts.

The free agent market on pitching is slim pickings. The Yankees reportedly spoke with Bronson Arroyo, but he made over $16MM last season and the soon-to-be 37-year old (February) will be looking for one more big score.

Matt Garza has never impressed me over a full season and was paid in excess of $10MM last year. He'll be looking for 3-4 years in excess of $45MM. No thanks. The Diamondbacks and Angels are said to be the front-runners for his services. (The only benefit of the Yankees getting Garza would be to make him shave that ugly excuse of a goat beard - yes, goat not goatee.)

Ubaldo Jimenez was fantastic in the second half of the 2013 season for Cleveland, but it was the best he'd pitched by far since 2010. He's 29, but he's looking for way too many years and too many dollars. Let some other team take that gamble  based on a half season.

Paul Maholm is a decent back end of the rotation starter and he comes relatively cheaply, but he's not good enough for what the Yankees need.

Ervin Santana is another pitcher looking for a huge windfall, but is exremely inconsistent. If you've noticed, teams aren't exactly banging down his door.

Barry Zito? If that were to happen the men from Bellevue should take Cashman away in a straight jacket.

If Tanaka stays, the Yankees will have to swing a deal. They could revisit Homer Bailey, though he's more likely to be dealt at the trade deadline (if he's dealt at all) with free agency waiting in the wings after the season. He would also come at a heavy price in prospects...yes, the Yankees do have good ones despite what you have heard.

I still like the idea of Justin Masterson. who will also be a free agent after the season.  He made a little under $6MM in 2013. He's still arbitration eligible and should get a big raise after he made his first All-Star team this past season.

James Shields is the ace of the Royals staff and is set to make $13.5MM this season, his final before he is a free agent. If the Royals were to deal Shields it would be at the trade deadline as well.

Yovani Gallardo would be an interesting acquisition. There were a number of rumors during the last trade deadline, but Milwaukee hung on to the right-hander. Gallardo has 10 team no-trade clause that includes the Yankees, but since the Brewers have only made the playoffs twice in the last 30 years, maybe he would be willing to waive it.

Gallardo is in the fourth year of a possible five year deal that could net him $42.5MM when all is said and done. He'll earn $11.25MM in 2014 and there is a team option of $13MM in 2015, but it's accompanied by a mere $600,000 buyout.

Gallardo had the opportunity to void the option had he finished in the top three in NL Cy Young voting on more than one occassion. (Six points based accumulated based on five pts for winning the Cy Young, three pts for a second place finish, and one point for a third place finish) Gallardo received votes on just one occasion when he finished seventh in the 2011 voting, so that's not a concern.

What is a concern is Gallardo demanding the option be picked up in order to waive his no-trade clause. A twist would be to waive the no-trade clause if the option year was bought out ahead of time. Gallardo would likely rather hit the free agent market again than get tied up for one more year in a place he may not want to play.

So there you have it. It's pretty much Tanaka or bust for the Yankees...at least until the July trade deadline.

Yankees All-Star Break Report Card: Starting Rotation

Hiroki Kuroda has plenty to smile about this season.

It's that dreaded time of year- no, not the mosquitos, humidity, or next to last place...okay, some of that is it. No, it's time for All-Star break Yankees report card. And oh has it been an ugly marking period. Let's start right off with the pitching since that is what has been keeping the Yankees afloat all year.

Starters

CC Sabathia - It appears that all those innings and all those pitches thrown have finally caught up to the big guy. Lost velocity, lost pinpoint control, lost games. Everyone hoped that Sabathia's off-season elbow surgery would strengthen the ace's game even more in 2013, but the opposite has occurred. (No, I'm not blaming the surgery.)

Sabathia is no longer the ace of the staff and has been throwing like a middle of the rotation guy. He's given up four or more runs in 10 of his 20 starts this season. Sabathia has allowed 21 home runs already, one less than the career high he gave up last year. Here's hoping he finds a magic (legal) elixir during the break.

Grade: C

Hiroki Kuroda - The Yankees have to be thanking their lucky stars every day that the 38-year old native of Japan decided to stay in New York instead of returning to the LA Dodgers or his home country. Kuroda's 2.65 ERA is second best among American League starters and he has a 1.74 ERA at home. A remarkable stat for a right-handed pitcher in left-handed hitter friendly Yankees Stadium.  Kuroda's 8-6 record would be a lot better if he didn't have some of the worst run support in the Major Leagues. He definitely should have been selected for the AL All-Star team.


The Yankees have scored two runs or less in four of Kuroda's six losses. He's 7-2 when the team scores three or more runs. I'm not a believer in quality starts, but for those of you who are, 12 of Kuroda's 19 starts fall into that category. He also won his last start in which he tossed five shutout innings in a start shortened by
a 73 minute rain delay in between.

Grade: A

Andy Pettitte - The Texan will one day have his number 46 retired and has or will break many of the Yankees pitching records. In what is likely his last season, he'sbeen anything but the Andy Pettitte we are all used to seeing. Every start seems to be a scuffle. He won his last two outings despite giving up runs early.

Pettitte's season didn't start out this way. In April he looked as dominant as he did in his outstanding 2012 season that was interrupted by a broken ankle. The last two months have been the worst for the 41-year old; he's allowed 27 earned runs in 49 innings pitched.

Grade: C

Phil Hughes - Jekyll & Hyde have been more consistent than Phil Hughes the last few years. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted last week that the Yankees are "aggressively pushing" to move Hughes to another team. Hughes is a free agent next year and the Yankees would be better off with getting some talent in return rather than draft picks.

Grade: C-

David Phelps - The Notre Dame product showed a lot of potential last year and made a nice transition from the pen to the rotation when injuries opened up a spot this season. He had a four game stretch in May where he allowed eight runs in 27.1 innings over four starts. He bounced back nicely after the Mets knocked him out in the first inning to pitch six inning games in which he allowed one earned run and four hits, and struck out 13.

His last two starts were poor and fair respectively and then he was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. It's possible he won't have a spot to return to when he is ready due to the recent starts by Ivan Nova.

Grade: B-

Ivan Nova - The Yankees have been waiting for Nova to return to his 2011 form when he won 16 games and was a model of consistency. Perhaps that time has finally come. After a shoddy April, Nova went on the DL with inflammation in his bicep. He made a pair of solid relief appearances in May, but was demoted to Triple-A.

Nova came back with a vengeance in June with a good start and a long relief appearance that saved the bullpen. So far in July, he's thrown one complete game win and threw eight innings in another victory. In 17 innings he allowed eight hits, walked three, and struck out 17. It would only make sense that his spot in the rotation is now his to lose.

Grade: C+/B- tough one to call

Phelps, Nova battling it out

If David Phelps and Ivan Nova were heavyweight boxers they would be in the middle of the ring, standing toe-to-toe, and throwing haymakers.  Thankfully, their competition is more peaceful as they battle for the number five spot in the Yankees starting rotation.

Nova was the latest of the two pitchers to step up with a solid outing. Against a Tampa Bay Rays team that featured just a few regulars, Nova tossed four scoreless innings on Tuesday afternoon. He allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out two.

In three starts this spring Nova has allowed just one earned run in nine innings pitched and also issued one free pass. He's had to be that good, because Phelps has been his equal if not better.

The Notre Dame product has allowed one earned run in 14 innings pitched, 10 hits, walked three and struck out six. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman do not have an easy decision ahead of themselves. That could change if Phil Hughes isn't able to go when the regular season starts. Nova and Phelps would then fill the number four and five spots.

On Monday Hughes threw his first bullpen session since mid-February when a bulging disc was discovered in his upper back. The Yankees are being extremely cautious in getting Hughes' back and arm back into game shape.

Next up for Hughes will be throwing batting practice on Thursday and then a simulated game at some point. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild has a schedule set up for Hughes, but declined to share it with the media.

Yankees Need Hughes to Have Backbone

With the Yankees tightening the purse strings for the coming season, the Bronx Bombers are going to be relying on their aging rotation more than ever. They'll especially be looking to guys like Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova or David Phelps to bolster the young, back end of the staff.

So it was not good news today when the Yankees announced Hughes was shut down with a sore back and sent to a spin specialist. It's certainly not good news for Hughes personally since he has a history of being somewhat fragile and will be a free agent for the first time next year.

After an up and down 2012 campaign that saw Hughes pitch to a 3.70 ERA in the second half, pitching coach Larry Rothschild had Hughes work on his flexibility in the off-season. Hughes felt great when he reported to camp, but experienced upper back stiffness between his shoulder blades during pitchers fielding practice (PFP) on Monday.

Word came in late in the afternoon on Tuesday that Hughes was being sent to a spine specialist. Though it sounds alarming, the Yankees are saying it is only a precautionary measure. Manager Joe Girardi went on to add that he would be more concerned if it were a lower back issue, because they can really tend to "linger".

Hughes knows from injuries; he was in his second big league start in Texas in 2007 when his no-hit bid in the 7th inning got interrupted by a pulled hamstring.  It was the beginning of physical issues over the next several years that prompted fans to think the still young Hughes was a bust. His ailments included a rib injury, an ankle injury (while he rehabbed the hamstring), and a dead arm that had a major impact on the 2010 season.

Last year Hughes started poorly, but came on in the second half and won 16 games. The Yankees are going to need that second half Hughes if they are to compete in the very balanced AL East this year. And the 26-yr old Hughes will need to stay healthy in order to earn a major contract before the 2014 season.

YCN: Phil Hughes' Time in Pinstripes Running Out: A Fan's Take

Phil Hughes was a model of mediocrity again tonight. Which is bad for the Yankees, but fits well for the article I had published for Yahoo today. Hughes' could be joining Freddy Garcia in the bullpen soon if he doesn't straighten things out. Andy Pettitte will be returning soon, which means David Phelps or Hughes goes to the pen. And in Hughes' case it could mean trade bait. Of course you still have to have value to get something of value in return.

Click here to read my latest Yahoo piece.

YCN - Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The Southpaw

Okay, so the above title got rejected by Yahoo for being too vague. But you can read what I wrote up about "Andy Pettitte Ready to Saddle Up Again For Yankees" by clicking here.

Plenty of talk these days of who Pettitte will replace in the rotation - Michael Pineda, Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes, or Ivan Nova.

Hughes Pitching For His Livelihood

Whether it was true or not, there were rumors that Yankees GM Brian Cashman was willing to include Phil Hughes in a deal to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez from the Colorado Rockies at the trade deadline. The Yankees and Rockies didn't come close to making a deal, but just having his name among the rumors had to unsettle Hughes.

It's been a tough 2011 for the California native, who was hoping to build off last year's All-Star, 18 victory season. But Hughes scuffled in the second half of 2010 and things got worse this year when his fastball disappeared. A trip to Dr. James Andrews revealed stress in Hughes' shoulder and the Yankee was put on a regimen of physical surgery and avoided surgery.

He worked his way back with exercise and throwing on flat ground until he was able to make three rehab starts in the minor leagues. Since being activated, Hughes has shown flashes of his early 2010 form, but hasn't been consistent with his fastball or his location. His first game back against Toronto was pretty good- 6 IP 4 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 SO 87 pitches, but he was awful in the Yankees 17-7 victory over the A's. He allowed 7 ER in 4+ innings and received no decision, despite what was a huge lead.

Hughes' last outing came against the weak hitting Seattle Mariners and his final line of two earned runs in six innings was misleading. He again struggled with location and allowed nine hits and a walk. Hughes was also behind in the count several times, but managed to escape most jams.

When Hughes was activated from the DL, Ivan Nova took the hit despite a decent 8-4, 4.12 record. Nova was recalled to pitch the nightcap of Saturday's day-night doubleheader with Baltimore and picked up his ninth win with seven solid innings. It was an outing that could cost Hughes his spot, especially if he doesn't have success in Chicago tonight.

Notes

CC Sabathia wasn't at his best last night, but still pitched well enough to pick up his 16th win a 3-2 victory over the White Sox. Mariano Rivera picked up his second straight save in as many days.

Robinson Cano played his 1,000th game last night.

Yankees Still On Break

The Yankees have had two games since the All-Star break, but apparently no one has notified them yet. Thursday they started with an embarrassing 16-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Friday night the Yankees were doubled to death by Toronto in a 7-1 loss. The two games have exposed the elephant in the room/stadium. The Yankees starting pitching staff is still a question mark.

The rotation had exceeded expectations during the first half, but cracks began to show when Bartolo Colon went on the DL with a hamstring injury. Colon has made two starts since being activated and is pitched poorly both times out. After Thursday night's first inning exit, Colon admitted he's been tentative due to his leg injury. Colon's success in the first half was due to his blazing fastball and aggressive approach.

Colon's allowed five runs in 5.2 innings against Tampa Bay on July 7, but things went worse for him last evening. He had trouble getting over to first base to cover on a grounder to Mark Teixeira and couldn't move quickly enough on a pair of swinging bunts on the third base side of the mound.

In fairness to Garcia, he entered Friday evening on a streak of five straight starts with three runs or less allowed and at least six innings pitched. But Friday night Garcia hung one breaking pitch after another to the tune of five doubles in five innings. That is the problem when you have two aging starters whose best days are behind them. Colon has had physical issues for a number of years, while Garcia is no longer the hard thrower he once was. If he's on, he's terrific, but when he's not you get games like tonight's.

The Yankees still need to improve the rotation for the long haul of the second half. Whether it is Ivan Nova or a pitcher acquired through a trade, something needs to be done.

Nova May Not Be Long For Rotation

The Yankees brass was already impressed with Ivan Nova when the 24-yr old threw very well in spring training to earn a spot in the starting rotation. But with his recent control issues and number of base runners allowed, Nova may be headed to the bullpen soon, or more likely, Scranton.

Nova's 3.2 inning performance last night against a weak hitting Mariners team did nothing to help his cause. In his last four starts Nova has allowed 30 hits, eight walks, and hit two batters. He's been able to get a key ground ball when he's needed it most of the season, but that has not always been the case in recent starts. And when Nova looks bad, he looks really bad, as was the case last night.

With Phil Hughes throwing/working his way back, Nova is the likely candidate to be removed from the rotation. Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have been much more consistent and reliable. Until Hughes comes back, the Yankees could choose to move Hector Noesi to the rotation, call up Carlos Silva, or make some other move.

You can bet Nova's next start against the Los Angeles Angels Will Carry plenty of weight.

Girardi on the Rotation

Joe Girardi discussed the rotation decisions with the beat guys this morning. These quotes are from Chad Jennings' LoHud Blog.

“Serge (Mitre) was more of a starter,” Girardi said. “He was never really a one-inning guy. We just think Bartolo (Colon) can do some different things… In a sense, you feel that not asking him to throw 200 innings might be easier on him, physically.”

“We will make sure that we use him (Colon) properly, that we don’t abuse him or throw him days in a row,” Girardi said. “We understand this is something he’s really never done a whole lot of, so we have to be smart about it. It’s kind of like when we moved Aceves, who had always been a starter, to the bullpen. How we did it with Phil Hughes when we moved him; you’ve got to be smart how you do it.”

Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild also like Colon's ability to warm up quickly.

Nova and Garcia Get The Spots

We already knew that Ivan Nova was the #4 starter (though Joe Girardi officially informed him this morning), but a bit of a surprise for the #5 spot. According to the regular Yankees beat writers, Freddy Garcia has won the final spot in the rotation with Bartolo Colon to be used in the Al Aceves role out of the bullpen.

Garcia seemed to be the early favorite for the #5 spot, but faltered in his last few starts and Colon came on strong. The guess is Girardi felt Colon could suit the pen role much better than Garcia and would be able to throw more often.

Not good news though - Pedro Feliciano likely headed to the DL. This is no surprise though since he's complained of a dead arm all spring and hasn't thrown much.

Let's just hope Kevin Millwood is never needed.

I've Lost That Loving Feeling

In the early part of the 2009 season there was no way you could realistically believe that the Yankees were a championship caliber team. The bullpen was in shambles. The hitting was inconsistent. The team seemed uninspired (except for some pie shots). But, the key to things staying steady and eventually improving was the starting rotation.

CC Sabathia was, well, CC Sabathia. A.J. Burnett had his ups and downs, but there were more ups than downs. Chad Gaudin stepped up to the point where he was actually being considered for a playoff start. And of course there was the Yankee of all Yankees, Andy Pettitte, doing his Pettitte best.

Things started out well this season despite an inconsistent offense and a prolonged slump by Mark Teixeira. But as we near the beginning of September this team is back to not looking like a championship caliber team. All you have to do is look at the starting pitching to figure that out.

And I repeat, CC Sabathia is, well, CC Sabathia. And then things go kind of off track.

Phil Hughes has had his struggles in the 2nd half, but he's still a 15 game winner. A 15 game winner with an innings limit that has about 30 innings left.

A.J. Burnett is about as lost as Hansel and Gretel were and he may just get baked by the witch. I'm tired of hearing from the YES and WCBS-AM announcers about how good his stuff is. Granted, he gets run support, but the White Sox Freddy Garcia, who does not have a lot left in the tank, is 11-5!

Andy Pettitte is the worrysome one. He threw 25 pitches off the mound yesterday, but didn't push off with any kind of resistance and didn't exactly sound upbeat when interviewed on Michael Kay's radio show. Without Pettitte the Yankees aren't going very far if they hang on and make the playoffs.

The pleasant surprise has of course been Dustin Moseley. But Dustin Moseley is not a household name just yet.

So what happens next: Chad Gaudin will not be in the rotation this year and Sergio Mitre blew his chance.

As expected, the Dodgers today placed Ted Lilly on waivers. You can bet the Yankees have an interest, but you can also bet another team lower in the standings is likely to claim him. Another possibility could be Lilly's teammate Hiroki Kuroda, a Japanese veteran who has just three years of MLB experience.

Looking at the list of pending 2011 free agents, there are no other pitchers out there substantially better than what the current staff is made up of. Perhaps a flier on Livan Hernandez, but that's unlikely.

Ideally, Pettitte gets physically healthy, Burnett gets mentally healthy, and the Yankees gear up for number 28. Without it, you can forget a serious run at a back to back title.

On a non-pitching note, don't be surprised if the Yankees were to claim a veteran catcher (if he's put out there), such as Brad Ausmus. Though Ausmus doesn't hit, his defensive skills and game calling are superior to Francisco Cervelli's.

Photo courtesy of NY Daily News

Yankees on Brink of Acquiring Cliff Lee

Written for BaseballDigest.com

With all of the hoopla (pun very much intended) over LeBron James last night, I was shocked to see he was not the subject of conversation on Twitter this morning. No sooner had my computer booted up then my brain got a jolt as well. The NY Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees are in deep conversations with the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee.

Say what?

By 10 a.m. Sherman had tweeted and written that the teams were on the brink of getting the deal done. Jesus Montero, the Yankees number one prospect, would be the centerpiece of the trade. Montero has struggled at the plate for much of his first full season at Triple-A, but is still highly regarded around baseball. This would also indicate that the Yankees front office is higher on catching prospect Austin Romine for the future.

The Mariners are also said to be intereted in 2nd base prospect, and UVA product, David Adams. Sherman says a third prospect will also be included in the deal.

With Lee’s free agency on the horizon, you have to wonder if the Yankees will demand a window to negotiate a long term deal with the prized left-hander. Though the Yankees would be giving up prospects, acquiring Lee would preclude losing draft picks if Lee went elsewhere and the Yankees then signed him as a free agent.

Some feel this deal would be overkill since the Yankees roll out CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Javier Vazquez on a regular basis. Though three of the pitchers are All-Stars, Hughes has an innings limit and Burnett and Vazquez have struggled at times. It’s possible once he nears the innings limit, Hughes could bolster the bullpen for the remainder of the season as he did last year.

While there are mixed feelings about giving up a top prospect, Cliff Lee is the type of player you give him up for.

Update: 11:20 am ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that since Lee is set to face them tonight, the Yankees told the Mariners they have to have answer soon.

Joel Sherman has now reported that the Yankees will not ask for a negotiating window to get a long term deal done with Lee.

Update: 3:45 pm Sherman says the deal is off - he just tweeted:
"To repeat the Yankees aren't getting Cliff Lee. Mariners concerned about David Adams ankle plus apparently another team has jumped in hard."

Update: 4:20 pm According to several people involved with the Yankees, the deal is definitely dead (for now) with Seattle.

It look the Texas Rangers are the team that has re-entered the fray. Rangers' Hall of Fame beat writer T.R. Sullivan says "...the Rangers won't do (Justin) Smoak". Possibilities are Jared Saltalamacchia, Engel Beltre, Derek Holland, Omar Beltre and Blake Beavan.

Stay tuned for updates.

Starter Number 352

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but Al Aceves joins the likes of Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Darrell Rasner, Carl Pavano, Sidney Ponson, Joba Chamberlain, Brian Bruney, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, Dan Giese, and Kei Igawa when he gets the nod tonight as the Yankees starter.

Aceves was in the Mexican League last year before being signed by the Yankees. He dominated in eight starts for Tampa in the Florida State League, going 4-11, 2.11 and held opponents to a .188 average. His success continued in Double-A Trenton where he went 2-2, 1.80 in seven starts.

With the Yankees needing starters at the major league level, Aceves was promoted to Triple-A Scranton, where he struggled for the first time, and also spent some time on the DL. Aceves produced mixed results with a 2-3, 4.12 record in 10 starts, eight of which were starts. He was promoted to the Yankees after striking out eight hitters in each of last two starts, both of which lasted six innings.

In two relief appearances with the Yankees, Aceves has allowed just one run in seven innings and has recorded seven strikeouts.

Peter Abraham has more on Aceves, including info on his father who played in the Mexican League, and a brother who was once in the minor leagues.

Starter Number 352

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but Al Aceves joins the likes of Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Darrell Rasner, Carl Pavano, Sidney Ponson, Joba Chamberlain, Brian Bruney, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, Dan Giese, and Kei Igawa when he gets the nod tonight as the Yankees starter.

Aceves was in the Mexican League last year before being signed by the Yankees. He dominated in eight starts for Tampa in the Florida State League, going 4-11, 2.11 and held opponents to a .188 average. His success continued in Double-A Trenton where he went 2-2, 1.80 in seven starts.

With the Yankees needing starters at the major league level, Aceves was promoted to Triple-A Scranton, where he struggled for the first time, and also spent some time on the DL. Aceves produced mixed results with a 2-3, 4.12 record in 10 starts, eight of which were starts. He was promoted to the Yankees after striking out eight hitters in each of last two starts, both of which lasted six innings.

In two relief appearances with the Yankees, Aceves has allowed just one run in seven innings and has recorded seven strikeouts.

Peter Abraham has more on Aceves, including info on his father who played in the Mexican League, and a brother who was once in the minor leagues.

Rasner Rewarded for Success

Darrell Rasner may not be long from rejoining the Yankees, as a replacement in the rotation, or as a long man out of the bullpen. Earlier today, Rasner was named the International League Pitcher of the Week for this past week.

Rasner was awarded after winning a pair of starts and limiting Scranton's opponents to 1 run in 14 innings. It lowered his season ERA to 0.87. Amazingly, his ERA is only 4th best in the league.

Rasner is tied for the league lead in wins, is 3rd in innings pitched, and 4th in strikeouts. If Ian Kennedy feels hot breath on his neck, it's most assuredly Rasner's.

Rasner Rewarded for Success

Darrell Rasner may not be long from rejoining the Yankees, as a replacement in the rotation, or as a long man out of the bullpen. Earlier today, Rasner was named the International League Pitcher of the Week for this past week.

Rasner was awarded after winning a pair of starts and limiting Scranton's opponents to 1 run in 14 innings. It lowered his season ERA to 0.87. Amazingly, his ERA is only 4th best in the league.

Rasner is tied for the league lead in wins, is 3rd in innings pitched, and 4th in strikeouts. If Ian Kennedy feels hot breath on his neck, it's most assuredly Rasner's.

New Boss Same as the Old Boss

Patience has never been a trait of the Steinbrenner family, and Hank Steinbrenner has seen enough. A 10-10 start has him calling for Joba Chamberlain to join the starting rotation ASAP.

“I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now,” Steinbrenner said Sunday by telephone. “There is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

If it had been up to Hank, Joba never would have been in the bullpen last year either. Of course, he seems to forget the Yankees wouldn't have made the playoffs if the switch hadn't occurred.

“The mistake was already made last year switching him to the bullpen out of panic or whatever,” Steinbrenner said. “I had no say in it last year and I wouldn’t have allowed it. That was done last year, so now we have to catch up. It has to be done on a schedule so we don’t rush him.”

Boss Jr. still has faith in his other young pitchers and has some words of advising for his struggling veteran, Mike Mussina.

“I think once Hughes and Kennedy get plenty of starts and get Joba back, and with Wang and Pettitte, we will be fine,” Steinbrenner said, referring to the Yankees’ starters Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte.

He also said he thought Mike Mussina, who is 39, “just needs to learn how to pitch like Jamie Moyer,” the Phillies’ 45-year-old starter, suggesting that Mussina shouldn’t try to rely on his diminished fastball.

Somehow we don't think that's going to go over real well with Moose, not that we care.

“The starting rotation is not what I would have chosen at the beginning of the year, but that is not a big news flash to anyone,” Steinbrenner said.

The junior Stein may get his wish very soon.

Source: NY Times

New Boss Same as the Old Boss

Patience has never been a trait of the Steinbrenner family, and Hank Steinbrenner has seen enough. A 10-10 start has him calling for Joba Chamberlain to join the starting rotation ASAP.

“I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now,” Steinbrenner said Sunday by telephone. “There is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

If it had been up to Hank, Joba never would have been in the bullpen last year either. Of course, he seems to forget the Yankees wouldn't have made the playoffs if the switch hadn't occurred.

“The mistake was already made last year switching him to the bullpen out of panic or whatever,” Steinbrenner said. “I had no say in it last year and I wouldn’t have allowed it. That was done last year, so now we have to catch up. It has to be done on a schedule so we don’t rush him.”

Boss Jr. still has faith in his other young pitchers and has some words of advising for his struggling veteran, Mike Mussina.

“I think once Hughes and Kennedy get plenty of starts and get Joba back, and with Wang and Pettitte, we will be fine,” Steinbrenner said, referring to the Yankees’ starters Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte.

He also said he thought Mike Mussina, who is 39, “just needs to learn how to pitch like Jamie Moyer,” the Phillies’ 45-year-old starter, suggesting that Mussina shouldn’t try to rely on his diminished fastball.

Somehow we don't think that's going to go over real well with Moose, not that we care.

“The starting rotation is not what I would have chosen at the beginning of the year, but that is not a big news flash to anyone,” Steinbrenner said.

The junior Stein may get his wish very soon.

Source: NY Times

Starting Rotation and Bullpen your Biggest Concerns

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of days. We've been laid up with a bug again and threw our back out to top it off. In the meantime our poll has expired, and we thank the 69 of you who responded.

Not surprisingly, pitching is your biggest worry, both starting and the bullpen. 43% of you said the starting rotation was your biggest concern. While another 39% of you felt the lack of solid relief would be the Yankees undoing.

The Smörgåsbord at 1st Base received 7% of the vote, while defense (4%), Mariano Rivera (3%) and Joe Girardi (3%) rounded at the voting.

Stayed tuned for more polls and thanks again for participating.