WHY HOPE MOVES FROM PINEDA TO CAMPOS

Now  that Michael Pineda is on a shelf until May 2013, read HERE, all eyes will now be on Jose Campos, the “other guy” the Yankees got in the trade that sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners.  Some had suggested when the Pineda/Montero trade went down, Campos was the best nugget of the whole bunch.   

It’s way to early to suggest that in my opinion, but damn can that kid pitch. In the minor leagues this season, Campos looks like this in Charleston:

3-0 / 1.23 ERA / 22.0 IP / 3 ER / 23 K / 5 BB

We’ve written about Campos quite a bit here, just so our BYB readers can keep track of this kid, because, he could be something special. If you get a chance, read WHY WE CAN'T FORGET CAMPOS & NOESI , WHY JOSE CAMPOS IS OFF TO A HOT START and WHY JOSE CAMPOS' HOT STREAK CONTINUES. If anything, it will give you a glimpse of what this kid could offer. 

Personally, I don’t see Campos coming up to the major leagues tomorrow, but remember what I suggested about Michael Pineda.  Brian Cashman sees the future, in fact, that was something that Girardi mentioned the other night and it rings true. Pineda wasn’t only for 2012…sure, if he was healthy and able to have a successful 2012, that would be a bonus. But Pineda and Campos and guys like Ivan Nova and Manny Banuelos…they guys are long term investments.  This group over time will be our rotation in 2013, 2014 and beyond.  Sure, the Yankees and Yankee fans are all about the “Now”, and this "future" stuff is new to us, but I see what the Yankees are doing, they’re trying to get the payroll down, groom these young guys and have a future of young rotation studs, led by CC Sabathia, the veteran of course.

Now, I will tell you, that doesn’t help the “right now” though.  Let’s face it, both Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia are stinking up the joint, so this is a problem, not because they’re good, but because they're terrible and the Yankees just don’t know who to drop from the rotation when someone like Andy Pettitte is ready.   

Plus, in the meantime they just have to deal with what they got and hope the offense can carry them on days when Hughes and Garcia are pitching.  If they were both great,  it would almost seem like an easier choice of elimination.  Look, right now the Yankees are in a position where they need to win.  That means they need to win with the pitching they have. If they don’t, they will in fact need to go out and find a veteran pitcher to help them get to the finish line this season, no doubt about it.  At the same time, they’ll want to keep their payroll down.  The solution, finding a veteran with 1 or maybe 2 years left on a contract this season.  No easy task, but do-able.  If they can’t find that, we need to push through with what we have and look toward the future.

I’m positive the Yankees will succeed this season, but it won’t be easy.  I feel like every year around June the other shoe drops and whatever rotation we had changes to temporary starters to just get them to limp to the All-Star break.  I remember the Sidney Ponson’s, the Tim Redding's and Darrell May’s of the world. I remember Brian Gordon last year.  Just once I’d like to be rolling in a routine, a rhythm and not have to worry about who’s going to pitch next.

Yes, Campos is the key to this Pineda trade…if he has a successful season in Charleston, Cashman will feel like a king, but only if the Yankees can piece together a solid rotation without Pineda this year...stay tuned.

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