WOULD THE YANKS MOVE PINEDA TO THE PEN?

(Sept. 29, 2016 - Source: Al Bello/Getty Images North America)

Pineda to the pen? Stranger things have happened, but I was taken by this question and answer in Bryan Hoch's MLB.com mailbag the other day, and wanted to run this by the BYB audience.  Bottom line, there is zero news coming out of Yankeeland right at this moment, and so we need to pose this question to all of you. Check it out:

(Sept. 19, 2016 - Source: Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America)

Why don't the Yankees move Michael Pineda to the bullpen? With a great fastball and nasty slider, I think he could be the next Andrew Miller.
-- Bentzy G., Vancouver, B.C. 

Generally speaking, a lot of struggling starting pitchers have seen their stuff play up in the bullpen, but Pineda was recently mentioned by MLB.com's Mike Petriello as a prime candidate for this kind of switch, along with free agent Andrew Cashner and the Marlins' Jarred Cosart.

• Who could be the next Andrew Miller? 

In Pineda's case, it won't happen for the 2017 season, as the Yankees have made it clear that adding to the rotation and the bullpen is going to be a priority. They need to supplement their starting depth behind Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia, not subtract from it. Pineda is going to be eligible for free agency after the year, and so if his future truly is in the bullpen, that'll probably happen in a different uniform."

Now, I'm not going to lie to you, I love this idea... and believe it or not I would love to see it in 2017!  But the big factor with that would be the following...

(Source: Getty Images)

Bringing back someone like Aroldis Chapman to close out games, and making sure Dellin Betances stays healthy.  But there is more...

(Sept. 8, 2016 - Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America)

We need starting pitching desperately and so removing someone like Pineda is not a good thing, even though he's struggled.  So what do we do? Put Luis Severino back in that role to replace him?

Look, I'm not here to break down every single scenario on a mailbag question... but it is definitely worth thinking about.  And so I ask you, the BYB audience... do you like this idea?  What would you do?

Comment... in between Black Friday shopping of course...