LUKE HOCHEVAR: HOW MUCH RISK IS TOO MUCH?

Spring Training is less than two weeks away!

Photo: USA Today

I have severe baseball withdrawals at this point and I really need some excitement. It has been a month and a half since the Yankees made any significant moves and there are still some holes to fill. It makes you wonder if the Yankees will make any moves before camp starts, or is this the team that the Yankees roll with?

Photo: MLB.com

The Yankees finally have a good DH option with Matt Holliday and a proven closer with Aroldis Chapman but the Yankees still need that middle relief help. We've talked about guys like Joe Blanton and Craig Breslow recently but there is still another middle reliever out there looking for a job but he comes with some serious risk.

Photo: MLB.com

Remember Luke Hochevar? The Kansas City Royals decided not to pick up his option during the off season with good reason. At 33 years old, Hochevar is a big injury concern after having two significant surgeries in the last four years. In August he had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) which affects the compression of nerves from the neck, chest and shoulders. Many pitchers have dealt with this before, including former Yankee Phil Hughes and Chris Young. Others however, like Chris Carpenter did not fare as well and his TOS contributed to the end of his career.

He should be ready for spring training but he has also had other major surgeries like Tommy John that cost him all of 2014 and part of 2015. Hochevar had a breakout season back in 2013 but his post Tommy John numbers are not nearly as impressive. A pitcher that is two major surgeries past his best season would definitely scare most teams off and explains why he is still on the market.

Post major surgeries Hochevar's stuff is definitely not what it used to be. When he was a starter he had five good pitches but as the years have gone on he now relies on his fastball, cutter and a knuckle grip curve ball. He still has success with the curve ball but those fastballs could be trouble at Yankee stadium.

There are no recent rumors connecting Hochevar with the Yankees, but you have to wonder if the Yankees would be willing to give a heavily (VERY heavily) incentive laden one year deal to add some middle relief help. The Yankees are supposedly done and have no more money to spend this season but if the Yankees could get him for a cheap $2-3 million contract it would add some depth and not hurt the Yankees long term payroll plans.

There is a lot of risk to signing Hochevar but is there enough upside? Or, would there be less risk to just go with what the Yankees already have?

 --Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

ANOTHER BULLPEN PIECE: JOE BLANTON?

(Oct. 19, 2016 - Source: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images North America)

The Yankees are out of money after spending big money on Aroldis Chapman. Or, so the Yankees say. Whether you believe that part or not pitching is still a priority for the team. The Yankees may gamble with a young and inexperienced starting rotation but the bullpen needs some help. There is an interesting option out there that hasn't been talked about much....yet.

Who remembers Joe Blanton? A long time ago he was part of one of the best rotations in baseball and won a World Series ring. He eventually turned into an average at best starter who struggled with consistency and keeping a winning record. His ineffective cutter resulted in too many home runs. During spring training in 2014 he decided to call it a career until he had a change of heart and returned in 2015 as a relief pitcher and has reinvented himself.

(Oct. 12, 2016 - Source: Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)

In 2016 Blanton pitched 80 innings in 75 games with a 2.48 ERA. The new role has helped him maintain his mechanics, increase his velocity and throw his entire pitching arsenal without sacrificing all of the runs he gave away as a starter. He proved to be effective for the Kansas City Royals and was a contributing factor to the Dodgers run in the post season. All of his experience as a starter and a reliever could be very useful to a young team like the Yankees.

(Sept. 23, 2016 - Source: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images North America)

Since moving to the bullpen he has proven that he can be a late inning reliever. He could be a good, low cost addition to the Yankees and could be a great bridge between the starters and Tyler Clippard or even Dellin Betances.

(April 23, 2016 - Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America)

The Yankees may claim to be out of money but he would be a cheap addition and if the Yankees do get some cash from the Nick Goody trade it could offset some of that money. Blanton would be one of the cheapest available pitchers with a proven track record. He probably wouldn't cost more than the $6 million they have to pay Clippard now and to the Yankees that is pocket change. It's a small price to pay for a veteran arm.

(Feb. 19, 2016 - Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

I never really considered Blanton before but after seeing his success last year and knowing how cost effective he could be for the Yankees I think it could be a good fit. The Yankees need another bullpen arm....and Blanton is looking for a job. He may not be the perfect fit but he's not expensive and would be an acceptable risk. You can never have enough arms, right? I wouldn't mind that for a Christmas present this year.

 --Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ



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WHY IT'S TRULY DEPRESSING

So it's December 28th, and from a Yankee fans perspective...WTF? All my life, I loved the winter. For one, if the Yankees were to lose in the playoffs, it was great to watch them work, spend a few bucks on big name free agents, and make some trades to get the team better for the following season. But, if the Yankees won the playoffs, and the World Series, it was great to pick up a few guys and sit back and watch World Series highlights until pitchers and catchers. Well, This year's winter stinks, plain and simple. I am in shock over the last few days. I guess I'm just a fool. I really thought for sure the Yankees were going to make a move in the final days of December and bring a name to the Yankees. But no. Nothing. I just read on River Ave Blues that "Randy Levine came out and backed the team’s patient approach this offseason." Levine says Cash is doing the right thing. How so Levine? Are you saving money? Are you turning into the Pittsburgh Pirates as Confessions of a She-Fan's Jane Heller stated brilliantly a week ago? What the hell is wrong with you people? In the end, I guess considering the Yankees blew it with Cliff Lee and letting the other free agents get signed, he can't say anything else. Oh well.

So yeah, like I've been saying, there is nothing new on the Yankees front, and I wasn't even gonig to post tonight, but I feel the need to reach out. All I see is just a daily list of names that the Yankees have "on the radar" just to be snatched up by other teams the next day. Look at Brandon Webb and the Texas Rangers, right? Webb was a great choice for a 4 or 5 starter for the Yankees as I stated in WHY I LIKE LEFTOVERS , but they didn't pull the trigger fast enough and yes, Brandon Webb moved on.

Look at Andy Pettitte. Man, what the hell? I say for sure, this guy's done. Pettitte says he's still "thinking about it" but I don't feel good about him returning. Right now he's vacationing with his family in Hawaii. This means he's having too much fun with family, OR he's having one last family party before he announces he's coming back. No one knows...only Andy. I say, IT'S OVER. Sad. Very Sad. Even today it was reported that Mark Teixeira said that, through his communication with Andy, he has a sense that Andy's probably going to retire. Trust me Yankee Fans, these rumors that are leaking out is to let us down easy for when it DOES happen. So it's not a shock to anyone. Either way, it's depressing to see Andy go.

Now I'm seeing a lot of talk about the Phillies making available Joe Blanton. Oh Goodie. Well look, to put it simply, if we don't have Andy, a Joe Blanton looks real good. But it's a trade situation, not a free agent, so it would mean we'd need to move some people. Would it be farm hands? Would it be someone like Brett Gardner? My question is this... Should I be picky like Cashman and not pull the trigger on this guy if I'm the GM? Or, do I do it to fill the void in the rotation? Hard to say. I say, I want a body there with expereince. I say, I go for it. Overall, it's not a bad choice if the Yankees don't give away quality farm hands. Besides, the Yanks have a 4 and 5 rotation consisting of Mitre and Ivan Nova. Look, if the Yanks pick up a starter with a few years behind him and he's made quaility starts, I give someone like Nova a shot in the number 5 hole, and that veteran in the 4 hole, and of course, if Andy decides to come back, then all this talk of Joe Blanton, Freddy Garcia and Jeff Francis dies down. The whole thing hinges on Andy now, does it not? The reality is, the rotation is key to championships, and my suggestion would be that everyone who prays should at this moment, get down on a knee and pray to the Yankee Gods, or the late George Steinbrenner, that Andy Pettitte comes back to the Bronx for one last time. That would make for a Happy New Year for sure.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.