The Nashville Winter Meetings are over and where do the Yankee stand? If the team went into the 2008 season as they are now, what are the general concerns? Here are a list of concerns:
#1 Concern: Starting pitching. There is one thing that scares the bejesus out of Yankee fans and that is uncertainty. When you have a high payroll team with all stars in practically every position (1B?) and are going through a youth movement, you go through stages of uncertainty. Right now the uncertainty lies in their trio of young starting pitchers. Yankee fans have seen some brilliance and some question marks.
In 2007 we watched Phil Hughes carry a no-hitter against Texas up until the point of a pulled hamstring that put him on the 60-day DL. We watched Joba Chaimberlain get eaten alive by midges in the postseason, unable to hold a lead carried brilliantly by Andy Pettitte. And we listened to talk about Kennedy projecting as a number three starter, at best. I listened to Michael Kaye today criticize the Yankees for making Kennedy the deal breaker in a Santana trade. Let me tell you Michael Kaye, when you are giving up Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera in a trade for a $150mil/6year contract, you don't just toss in "#3" pitchers like they are toppings on a sundae. First of all, I think that projecting someone at such a young age to be a number in a rotation is garbage and that a number of things could occur to prove those projections wrong. Secondly, you don't just throw in pitchers because they have less projectability than the gem of the package, Hughes.
In 2007 we watched Ian Kennedy put up respectable numbers, albeit at a small sample size. We watched Phil Hughes almost pitch a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, before being yanked for pulling a hamstring, only to come back and pitch below 3.00 ERA baseball in September, when it counted for the Yankees. Not to mention he got the Yankees a win in the post-season; their only win. And aside from the midges, we watched Joba Chaimberlain dominate all of baseball. One game in particular, if you can remember, he struck out the feared Vladamir Guerrero on three pitches, making him look foolish. You can do that when you throw 100mph and have plus secondary pitches.
All in all, it would be fun to watch these three young studs develop. For the sake of trades, you simply don't move Joba Chaimberlain, not even for Santana. I wouldn't swap Chaimberlain for Santana mono-y-mono if I had the chance. You can give up a Hughes for a Santana, if there are no other significant pieces in the package. And Kennedy would be a nice addition in a trade for a young pitcher, namely the Matsui trade being talked about the with the Giants.
However, question marks on young players can sometimes turn out well. Especially when you think about how Jeter, Pettitte, Mariano, and Bernie shined in the Yankee organization. To have someone like Santana would be nice but wouldn't it be great to watch some pitchers develop for a change?
#2 Concern: Bullpen. There are many in-house options for the bullpen. Humberto Sanchez is coming of Tommy John Surgery and was the prize of the Gary Sheffield Trade to the Tigers. If the Yankees were to trade, Hawkins and Mahay are out there along with some intriguing lefties on the Giants. One thing is certain: Yankees need lefty pitching in the bullpen, not named Mike Myers. Sanchez might just do it, and why don't you acquire Lowry as a starting pitcher while at it. Yankee Stadium was built for lefty pitching.
#3 Concern: Righty bats. You have Jeter, Rodriguez, and the switch-hitting Posada as your strength, and that's about it. After years of watching the Yankees getting dominated by lefties, it is about time that they go out and pick up the Mark Teixiera's of the world - free agent in 2009 if he doesn't sign back with the Braves.
