WHY NOT GO AFTER A TOP FREE AGENT IF WE'RE THE YANKEES?

Several days ago, Mark Feinsand (HERE) had a piece that highlights the Yankees meeting with Joel Pineiro’s agent and the whole time I’m reading it thinking about last winter when the Yanks thought it was 1995 and Bartolo Colon was available. Except, it was 2011 instead. Yes, we dodged an absolute collapse and Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia did pretty good for us, but I don’t want to do that again.

We are the mighty Yankees and we should be looking at quality pitchers and any time the Yankees are lumped into talks with the Mets for 1 pitcher, like Joel Pineiro, you know we don’t belong there. The Mets are broke. The Mets need pitchers that can get through some starts but at the same time, don’t cost a ton of dough. The Yankees don’t usually do this. This is a new world for me and many of you and I just don’t want to be caught up in a scotch-taped rotation again in 2012.

(In Photo: Tim Redding)

I don't need Brian Gordon joining us to get us through a start in the middle of the summer, or better yet, Tim Redding...remember him?

If we were to sign someone like Joel Pinerio and he shits the bed, it's the same thing as Colon breaking down in September for us, we just don't need it. The Colon-Garcia Saga happened once, and it was brilliant, but that was last year, it can't be this year.

I know, the market is light this year, but if you’re going to go that route, signing Garcia was fine for a back end rotation guy, now we need a top pitcher to sandwich in between CC Monster and AJ Burnett. Joel Pineiro is not that pitcher. You know what I mean?

Now, people are going to read this and say “Casey, don’t panic. You don’t know what your talking about, the Yankees are merely looking at Pineiro, no offer has been made.” I’m here to tell you I know that, but I also want to bring it to you straight, that's why you read us. Do I see Cashman signing Joel Pineiro now? No, but if things start moving, there is no doubt, he could...I just don't want to fall into that web again...I like certainty.

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