Yankee pitching staff for 2009

[Sixty one]

Boy does Cashman, if he's still GM, has his work cut out for him in the off season. Look at the current starting pitchers and tell me which one can be relied on for next year. Mussina having a terrific year is going to be pushing 40 and it's hard to tell whether he will be the same next year ...that is if he is signed by NY. Pettitte is questionable because of injury problems...look at his sore shoulder. Wang hopefully will be healthy and hopefully regain the form he had before his injury. Chamberlin we know has the potential to be a number one but he is still very young and will probably be on a pitch count. Hughes, Kennedy and Rasner are all questionable and need to prove themselves all over again.
Do I sense New York going after Sabathia and opening up the money vault? What do the rest of you out there in Yankee land feel will happen in the off season??

[montrealer]

Just say NO to Fat pitchers. He`ll be offered a ridiculous amount of cash and years no doubt by some idiot GM.

The other problem I have is that signing A-Rod for 10 years he`s more or less the cornerstone of this team now and you have to build somewhat around him.

Cash has to get this team younger and if that means trading Jeter well then get him out now while his value is still good.

[mrbawm]

Just say NO to Fat pitchers. He`ll be offered a ridiculous amount of cash and years no doubt by some idiot GM.

The other problem I have is that signing A-Rod for 10 years he`s more or less the cornerstone of this team now and you have to build somewhat around him.

Cash has to get this team younger and if that means trading Jeter well then get him out now while his value is still good.

We should get thin to average build pitchers who aren't nearly as good instead.

Jeter has very little value to other teams with his contract, he's not going to be traded anyway.

[montrealer]

We should get thin to average build pitchers who aren't nearly as good instead.

Jeter has very little value to other teams with his contract, he's not going to be traded anyway.

No....we got those too............I just hate giving long term, no trade clause contracts to guys who don`t take care of themselves.

[ojo]

not going after sabathia would be absurdity.

sabathia
wang
mussina
chamberlain
hughes

kennedy/horne spot starting.

[BigCheese]

Just say NO to Fat pitchers. He`ll be offered a ridiculous amount of cash and years no doubt by some idiot GM.

The other problem I have is that signing A-Rod for 10 years he`s more or less the cornerstone of this team now and you have to build somewhat around him.

Cash has to get this team younger and if that means trading Jeter well then get him out now while his value is still good.

No to Sabathia because he's fat, and trade Jeter.

Good luck on this forum.

[nnysiny]

Just say NO to Fat pitchers. He`ll be offered a ridiculous amount of cash and years no doubt by some idiot GM.

The other problem I have is that signing A-Rod for 10 years he`s more or less the cornerstone of this team now and you have to build somewhat around him.

Cash has to get this team younger and if that means trading Jeter well then get him out now while his value is still good.

CC is fat, but isnt exactly mobidly obese. just look at last night's video.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280808108
also, when was the last time a fat pitcher broke down due to his weight by age 33/34? thats when his next contract will be up. hes the best pitcher in baseball. what hes doing now is reminiscent of Randy Johnson when he was traded to the NL midseason in 1998. a lot of dollars/years should be the norm.

as for the thought of trading Jeter....what?

[NYYDragoon]

This is the hot topic nowadays, eh?

Being that that SP market was pretty much nonexistent in the winter of 2008, and given that the Hughes/Kennedy experiment failed, I think we can be pretty certain that Cash will go after Sabathia hard. There's no way he takes the same gamble two years in a row.

[ace]

If it comes down to Sabathia or Teixeira, I'll take Teixeira.

[gregzzy22]

I really don't want Sabathia, theres no chance hes going to be worth the contract hes going to get. NO CHANCE.

[ojo]

I really don't want Sabathia, theres no chance hes going to be worth the contract hes going to get. NO CHANCE.

so what? is arod worth 30 million a year? nope. not even close.

the fact is the yankees need a front of the rotation pitcher....so that SP is an advantage in NY. sabathia fits that.

free agency is a system that is set up to reward the top performers, and reward them well. are you suggesting NY not wade in the FA pool? just use their resources for good? help communities? why embrace a pittsburgh pirate model when you're not forced?

[ojo]

i should say....the point of developing homegrown pitchers is so that the yankees are not forced into the carl pavano (lg avg), kevin brown (old) signings.

going after premier talent has nothing to do with it.

[JOBA RULES]

Just say NO to Fat pitchers. He`ll be offered a ridiculous amount of cash and years no doubt by some idiot GM.

The other problem I have is that signing A-Rod for 10 years he`s more or less the cornerstone of this team now and you have to build somewhat around him.

Cash has to get this team younger and if that means trading Jeter well then get him out now while his value is still good.

Really?

[nycdoc999]

As long as Ian Kennedy isn't on the 25 man roster, the staff will be fine...

[kan_t]

I really want CC. A LHP power pitcher who eats innings.

6-7 years deal with CC is better than 10 years deal with Teixeira.

Also, Moose to me is a must sign (1 year with an option or 2 years). He can provide stability to our rotation.

CC
Wang
Chamberlain
Moose
Hughes

[ojo]

teixeira is a freakin first baseman. his bat isn't huge enough to go after, frankly. he's replaceable nearly every single year in FA. the uniqueness of sabathia creates leverage for NY. a lefty. an innings eater. a guy who pushes everybody in your rotation down a notch.

ever play team tennis? the advantages to a sabathia signing far, far outweigh that of a teixeira one..

[kan_t]

teixeira is a freakin first baseman. his bat isn't huge enough to go after, frankly. he's replaceable nearly every single year in FA. the uniqueness of sabathia creates leverage for NY. a lefty. an innings eater. a guy who pushes everybody in your rotation down a notch.

ever play team tennis? the advantages to a sabathia signing far, far outweigh that of a teixeira one..

Agreed. Also we need to consider that lots of our guys may need to move to 1B in the future (e.g. A-Rod).

[just-blaze]

Are the CC naysayers not witnessing how he is currently molesting the NL?
This after winning the Cy Young last year in the AL? Not going after the best pitcher in the league doesn't make much sense to me.

I dont think people gauge how unfair it will be to opposing teams having to face CC and then the next night face Joba....or vice versa. We could literally have the worst offense in the league and still win both nights.

We need to go as hard as the Yankees can at a free agent at CC. Texiera is a luxury, CC is a necessity.

[amartella]

Getting Sabathia in my opinion isn't even a question. It's a necessity. There is a very good chance that Hughes and Kennedy will be busts in the majors and we have no idea if Chamberlain will continue to be healthy. Tendinitis happens to a lot of pitchers so he should get over it. However, we cannot count on Chamberlain being the #1 in the rotation for years to come as a certainty. Giving Sabathia 7-years @$20/year isn't the ideal solution but it may be the best chance that we have over the next 5 years to grab a dominant, healthy pitcher that is in his prime. There is no reason to not do it. Case closed. We aren't the Milwaukee Brewers!

[Matsui-San]

C.C. is a must-sign. Give him whatever he wants.

Forget Teixeira and his 10-year contract demands, and go after a better value like Adam Dunn who would put up monster numbers at YS.

[ace]

so what? is arod worth 30 million a year? nope. not even close.

the fact is the yankees need a front of the rotation pitcher....so that SP is an advantage in NY. sabathia fits that.

free agency is a system that is set up to reward the top performers, and reward them well. are you suggesting NY not wade in the FA pool? just use their resources for good? help communities? why embrace a pittsburgh pirate model when you're not forced?

Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball, and possibly the best player of all time. He's in the discussion at the very least. Why is he not worth the most money in the league?

[Bostonsfavson]

not going after sabathia would be absurdity.

sabathia
wang
mussina
chamberlain
hughes

kennedy/horne spot starting.

Love it.

[ace]

The problem is Chamberlain and Hughes will be on innings limits again. This season has been a wash.

[R.V.47]

CC
Joba
Wang
Andy
Hughes

For Cashman the chance to have this rotation should not be a tough choice. Open the check book for CC.

[genius-24]

Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball, and possibly the best player of all time. He's in the discussion at the very least. Why is he not worth the most money in the league?

Alex Rodriguez is not the best player in baseball. Plz.

[ace]

I would like to know who is, then. The only other name that comes to my mind is Pujols, and A-Rod is better than him.

[Bostonsfavson]

CC
Joba
Wang
Andy
Hughes

For Cashman the chance to have this rotation should not be a tough choice. Open the check book for CC.

You'd rather have Andy rather than Moose? I love Andy, I really do, but I'm just not sure I trust him anymore (and yes, it hurts to type that).

[Cheesyhoboe]

There's a fairly good chance Mussina will get a multi-year deal if he continues to pitch like this. I wonder if he'd take a 1 year contract with a team/player option for 1 year.

[genius-24]

I would like to know who is, then. The only other name that comes to my mind is Pujols, and A-Rod is better than him.

This guy


and several others including pitchers.

[ojo]

Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball, and possibly the best player of all time. He's in the discussion at the very least. Why is he not worth the most money in the league?

my point was made to show that $$ is product of opportunity and leverage. what sabathia makes shouldn't concern us. his productivity, what he brings to the top of the rotation, what it means to the rest of the SP staff, should.

[ace]

Sabathia is going to be making Santana/Zito money for the next several years, wherever he goes. As a top 5 starter (in MLB), I'd say he's worth it but I am leary on long contracts for pitchers. The money isn't an issue when the pockets are as deep as the Yanks.

[R.V.47]

Sabathia is going to be making Santana/Zito money for the next several years, wherever he goes. As a top 5 starter (in MLB), I'd say he's worth it but I am leary on long contracts for pitchers. The money isn't an issue when the pockets are as deep as the Yanks.

The guy is an absolute workhorse as he has displayed in Milwaukee this year. I just hope all these complete games he is throwing doesnt burn out his arm.

[genius-24]

Sabathia is going to be making Santana/Zito money for the next several years, wherever he goes. As a top 5 starter (in MLB), I'd say he's worth it but I am leary on long contracts for pitchers. The money isn't an issue when the pockets are as deep as the Yanks.

and u are willing to sign Tex for 8-10 years...

and if u don't sign CC, how will our rotation shape up next year?

[teknetic]

This guy


and several others including pitchers.

You're comparing pitchers to ARod? seriously?

[nnysiny]

The guy is an absolute workhorse as he has displayed in Milwaukee this year. I just hope all these complete games he is throwing doesnt burn out his arm.

these are the pitch counts in his complete games this year:
117 (in the AL)
102
106
122
110
106
103

in his complete games hes averaging 12.16 pitches per inning. hes not being overworked, hes just making a mockery out of opposing batters

[amartella]

I'm sorry but I have to just mention something unrelated in this thread. I just laughed reading the first Ian Patrick Kennedy thread that insinuated that he could turn out to be Greg Maddux in his prime. My how things change.

[ojo]

kennedy needs to learn how to pitch with his stuff. moose might be of assistance.

i want moose in NY next year though. no doubt about it.

[NYDCYankee]

Ben Sheets please.

[NYYDragoon]

Sabathia is going to be making Santana/Zito money for the next several years, wherever he goes. As a top 5 starter (in MLB), I'd say he's worth it but I am leary on long contracts for pitchers. The money isn't an issue when the pockets are as deep as the Yanks.

Exactly. Nor should it be an issue to us fans. Do we want success or do we want the FO to be stingy?

[genius-24]

You're comparing pitchers to ARod? seriously?

The poster talked about best player in baseball. That includes everyone. Yes Im comparing performance of hitter and pitcher.

[THEBOSS84]

CC is a must sign. I think the only way he's not a Yankee in 09 is if he simply doesn't want to play in NY. I can't remember a time when a player made this much sense for us, especially considering the $ coming off the books from our rotation alone...$16m, $12m, $10m...assuming we don't re-sign any of Andy, Moose and Pavano.

[ace]

and u are willing to sign Tex for 8-10 years...

and if u don't sign CC, how will our rotation shape up next year?

I doubt Tex would get that long of a deal. I'd be willing to give him 5, 6, or 7 though. I also say I didn't want CC. But I'd rather have Teixeira if it came down to it.

[mrmike98]

There's a fairly good chance Mussina will get a multi-year deal if he continues to pitch like this. I wonder if he'd take a 1 year contract with a team/player option for 1 year.

He should not be given anything longer than one year.

Having said that, it's really sweet watching him this year.

Congrats Moose.

[genius-24]

I doubt Tex would get that long of a deal. I'd be willing to give him 5, 6, or 7 though. I also say I didn't want CC. But I'd rather have Teixeira if it came down to it.

I highly doubt that's gonna happen b.c Boras is his agent. It has been known that they are looking for 10 year deal.

And why a long term 1B? ARod will turn 34 next year. Jeter is 34 already. Posada is 36 I believe. Then you have hampered, OF. Some of these players might consider shifting to 1B and it will become easier if there is a spot open for them.

[primetime714]

CC
Wang
Joba
Pettitte
Moose
Hughes

We need to plan to go into the year with at least 6 viable starters. Hughes and probably Joba will both be on innings limits. This year we've had 10 different starters (11 if you count that Bruney start). And 10+ seems pretty standard for us. Sabathia is a must sign or near it IMO, you won't see a pitcher this good and young in FA for a LONG time. If Moose and Pettitte want back I see no reason not to bring both of them back on a 1-year deal. If we don't we'll regret it when someone goes down.

If all 6 are healthy, put Hughes in the bullpen or AAA and limit his innings or let him work on his changeup in the minors.

[continentalg5]

The addition of a sixth starter would be a good idea to give Joba and Hughes some relief in the work load.

The question is, which Mussina/Pettite will show up next year?

[teknetic]

The poster talked about best player in baseball. That includes everyone. Yes Im comparing performance of hitter and pitcher.

So when people talk about Ruth as the best to ever play the game, do they also mention Pedro?

This year's injuries/struggles in our rotation probably is gonna force Cash to splurge on Sabathia and more. Not sure if that's a good thing, but CC not being in pinstripes next year would be extremely lame.

[Brick Tamland]

Just say NO to Fat pitchers. He`ll be offered a ridiculous amount of cash and years no doubt by some idiot GM.

The other problem I have is that signing A-Rod for 10 years he`s more or less the cornerstone of this team now and you have to build somewhat around him.

Cash has to get this team younger and if that means trading Jeter well then get him out now while his value is still good.

I know we "root for the laundry" and all but the idea of trading Jeter away is unthinkable IMO. Jete is the Yankee captain and a first ballot hall of famer. Maybe he's declined a shade or two, or maybe he just had one bad month due to getting hit on the hands with a 96 mph fastball. In either case, if I am Cashman, there is no way I'm trading Jeter. He retires as a Yankee. He's one of the most, if not the most, important players on this team.

[kirbivore]

Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball, and possibly the best player of all time. He's in the discussion at the very least. Why is he not worth the most money in the league?

Best of all time? Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Williams, DiMaggio, Musial, Gehrig, Mantle, Cobb, Rose, Clemente, Bonds (pre juice)

I'd discuss them before A-Rod entered the discussion

[ajra21]

i would really both tex and CC but i just don't think that is realistic. CC will want 6-7 which is idiotic but some idiotic GM will give it too him ... i do not expect that to be cashman. tex wants 10. no one will give him that. not even the stupid GMs. he might get 7 or 8 years but even then, that is ridiculous.

i think CC is more important to us than tex but we do need to get a well rounded first baseman because that is a big problem for us.