THE YANKEES, RUMORS & THEIR PITCHING STRATEGY

The Yankees' starting pitching strategy in recent years is clear. Get top shelf guys for the top three spots in the rotation in CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte and then stockpile a bunch of low-priced undervalued talent for the bottom of the rotation and see if you can get a good year out of one of them. It worked out with Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, and now that the Yankees have signed Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees are clearly looking to see what is available out there. While there is probably no one available who will win a Cy Young, there are still some very interesting opportunities out there. Check this out...

The Nationals unconditionally released starting pitcher Chris Young this week, and Bill Ladson tweeted that "he is not close to signing with a team."  This could be a gift, if the Yankees are paying attention. Yes, he finished 4-9 last year, but he had a respectable 4.15 ERA over 20 starts. Also, that record was with the Mets. If the Mets had scored at least four runs in each of his starts, that 4-9 record would have been 7-4 with two decision undecided. Twelve of his 20 starts were quality starts, and at 33 years of age, he probably has a lot left in the tank. If we are looking for that fifth starter, Chris Young could fit the bill.

Carlos Zambrano is another available pitcher that should get some attention. He is 31 years old; he has a career ERA of 3.66, which is respectable even in the National League, and a high career strikeout rate.  Last year started out well for him, with a 4-3 record and a 2.81 ERA for the lowly Marlins through the first week of June. Then things turned south, and by the end of July, they sent him to the bullpen. The thing that stands out to me is his pitch count. He was over 100 pitches as early as April 14, and for eight of his first 11 starts. Then the bottom fell out. Then as he appeared to recover somewhat in late June, they sent him out to four consecutive starts with over 100 pitches. Could his arm just not have the stamina to go that far into games? Could the Yankees benefit from his services if they kept him on a strict pitch count to preserve arm strength? It would not be the first time they did that. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says Carlos "may sign in Japan on Taiwan if he can't land a major league deal this off season." Again, for a fifth starter, he might be a great catch.

Rick Porcello has been in the middle of trade rumors for some time now with a number of teams expressing interest. The Tigers were clearly on the fence about him, despite GM Dave Dombrowski's statements to the contrary. Earlier this week, the Tigers finally decided to name him as their #5 starter (HERE). Teams should be expressing interest in him, and the Yankees should be in the mix. His stats look somewhat mixed, but you have to look at the details. The fact is that when he is good, he is great. When he is bad, he is terrible. Hence the mediocre stats. In his quality starts in 2012, he was 6-3 with an ERA of 2.36. In the other starts, he was 4-9 with an ERA of 6.79. At age 24, this may just indicate inexperience. Personally, when I have seen him pitch, he has been dominant. I think there is talent there, and if the Yankees can get him at a good price, he may pay back big dividends.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

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