WAS THE ANDREW BAILEY DEAL DUMB?

I understand the struggles of staying healthy in baseball.  Sometime injury happens. Sometimes you come back and can continue on your baseball path to greatness. Other times there are setbacks, and it takes time. Sometimes you never fully recover.  As that player, you hope to just grind through it, follow your dream and keep going.  After all, that's why you're there, right? The passion of the game.

I've never been a big fan of Andrew Bailey but I do know his struggles, the grind, and I feel for him.  Bottom line, and according to Joe Girardi in Brendan Kuty's NJ.com piece, Bailey's struggling...

"...he won't pitch this season, manager Joe Girardi said, due to setbacks in his return from a major shoulder injury.

Bailey has spent the season recovering in Tampa, Fla.

In February, Bailey said he had "full expectation' that he would pitch for the Yankees this season. Girardi didn't say what kind of setbacks Bailey suffered."

Don't forget Bailey had a torn labrum and torn capsule in his shoulder. That's not easy to recover from. I hate shoulder and elbow injuries. They scare the crap out of me.

So, it was a gamble by the Yankees, and it doesn't appear that it will pay off this  time around. You just never know. Remember Jon Lieber?

The Yankees signed him and he was out with Tommy John surgery at the time of the signing.  He finally returned to baseball and gave the Yankees a great effort in 2004 going 14-8.

Bailey was signed to 1 year, $2.4 million.  Was it dumb?  Look, as a team you don't know what can and cannot happen to players.  Lieber was one example, but in the world of the unknown, there are always others...

I'm sure after Aaron Boone's shot heard 'round the world, he would have been back with the Yankees the next season. But after a knee injury on the basketball court in the off-season, Boone's days in pinstripes were over... and we got ARod. 

My point is, you just don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.  I think it was smart to make a cheap deal for Bailey and roll the dice... especially if everyone is optimistic about his recovery and eventual return.  Now however, it doesn't look too good.

Whatever the case, I will Bailey well.  I appreciate his comeback journey and I respect it.

I hope it all works out for him.

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