THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE PITCHING BOX

The Yankees have made a lot of smaller moves this off season, but the starting rotation has not been one of those areas of improvement. There are still a lot of question marks out there. The lack of of a consistent starting rotation once again makes the Yankees look like the underdog, but it doesn't have to stay this way.

The Yankees have one of the best bullpen's on paper. I would argue to say that the Yankees could have one of the best bullpen's for the season. The problem here is the Yankees need to be able to get to these guys with a lead and not burn them out. Last year, Masahiro Tanaka was not the ace we were expecting and CC Sabathia just isn't healthy anymore and he is the only lefty we have so that means even more pressure. The Yankees could (and should) look at some starters that are still out there that could be good insurance for the Yankees.

There are some guys available that are still looking for a new team that have flown under the radar and are looking for a rebound year.

•  Doug Fister

In 2014, Fister had his best full season of his career posting a 16-6 record and a 2.41 ERA for the Washington Nationals. Last year was not so kind to him as he lost a lot of his mechanics and was eventually demoted to the bullpen for the last 10 games of the season. Everyone goes through a rough patch, and the Yankees could help remold Fister and his mechanics. The fact that he was demoted to the bullpen last year would help the Yankees get him for a cheap price and....let's face it, he is durable which is already a big plus for the Yankees. I really think the Yankees could bring him back to his 2014 form.

•  Mat Latos

Last year Latos bounced around from team to team playing for three different teams. He spent most of his time with the Miami Marlins but also played with the Dodgers and the Angels. He finished the year with a 4-10 record and a 4.95 ERA. On paper that looks ugly, but with so much of that time with the Marlins I don't weigh in on that too much. The Marlins did not score a lot of runs, and finished with a horrible 71-91 record. Not to mention that this was the first year that he has had an ERA over 3.5 since his rookie year, so this year isn't typical for him. He is due for a bounce back year, and he is still a young pitcher so I doubt that he is regressing.

•  Kyle Lohse 

Sure, he is 37 and getting up there in age, but he has been durable the last five years of his career which would be great for the Yankees. Four of the past five seasons he pitched 180 innings or more and had a respectable ERA. Last year was not his best, he finished with a 5-13 record and a 5.85 ERA but maybe this is a sign that he is ready to get out of Milwaukee.

The Yankees could still make a relatively cheap, single year deal here and maybe with one of these pitchers. They may not be lefties, or a big name splash but these guys could still make a difference for the Yankees. It could be worth the gamble....if Hal wants to open up his purse strings. After all you never know what could happen, right?

Will the Yankees make a move? Who knows, but it is always fun to speculate. Is there someone out there that you would like the Yankees to look at? Comment and let us know.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 

THE YANKEES MUST SNATCH UP A STARTER!

This is a speculation piece.  I'm offering that ahead of time.  It's the rumor season and there's bound to be a bunch of speculation as you know.  No baseball insider truly knows anything... but once in a while they get a whiff of a move that's about to go down.  That's the game.. and you guys are at least smart enough to know that.  Check this out:

First off, a great piece by Lou DiPietro of YESNetwork.com who names several possible starters.  I'm going to offer 2 that I actually see as fits for the Yanks:

Mat Latos: "...Latos is the more likely option, and while he's struggling a bit this season - 3-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 14 starts through the break - his career ERA of 3.45 (and 3.31 ERA in three years in a hitters' park in Cincinnati) could prove this year as an aberration on a bad team. He's also durable, having made 30 or more starts and pitched at least 184 2/3 innings every year from 2010-13 (and 102 1/3 in 16 starts last year, a pace for about 205), so he should have plenty left in the tank after throwing just 75 1/3 in the first half."

Mike Leake.  Everyone is talking about the Yankees targeting Leake and it makes perfect sense.  DiPietro writes: "...Leake could very well be on the block as well if the Reds decide to stick with their current ace Cueto for the longer term.

Leake is unique in that he never played an inning in the minors, jumping straight to MLB in 2010 after being the No. 8 overall pick the previous summer. He is 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA in 18 starts this year and 59-47 with a 3.94 ERA in 165 total outings with the Reds, and at just 27, any audition could lead to a long-term deal somewhere."

BYB has even written of Leake in COLESLAW VS. COLE HAMELS:

"Cole Hamels isn’t our guy. I’d Aim for Mike Leake.  He seems to get it."

 Jeff Samardzija: An obvious target and someone that Bleeding Yankee Blue definitely wants on the Yankees.  Not only that... the Yankees are definitely looking at him.  We wrote alot about Shark last year.  

"I know the trade deadline is coming up and I am pretty positive that despite the negative aroma from the sports writers about the Yankees "lack of talent" on the farm, there is actually mad talent on the farm, and certain talent could definitely take a trip to Chicago so we can snatch up Jeff Samardzija.  If there is an opening, Cashman needs to swoop in and get him. Sure it's gotta be a reasonable deal, but we need to make the deal any way we can."

That was written on June 20, 2014.  Shark went to the A's after that. Cashman missed the boat.  Shark then signed with the White Sox and I'll tell you something, they'd be fools to pass him up again.  The Yankees are contenders... the White Sox are not.

3 pitchers the Yankees should consider.  3 pitchers that can catapult them into the playoffs and beyond.  Remember, as Pinstripe Alley writes: "...the Yankees rotation could be worse. This season, Yankee starters are 11^th in the league in FIP-WAR, much better than their very realistic worst-case scenario. Still, with a 4.25 ERA, the starting staff could be better."

Very, very true. You can always improve.

Let's make a deal Cash.

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AROUND MLB RIGHT NOW

Some nuggets around Major League Baseball right now you should be aware of:

Nate McLouth has been turning heads in Baltimore lately. He has a stunning .522 average over the last 7 days and has reached base 22 times in his last 36 plate appearances. He is also tied for second in the league in stolen bases with 8.

Mat Latos reported tightness in his right hip on Monday's start, cited as the reason he left the game. Latos is proving key to the Reds, with two wins, 37 Ks and a sparkling 1.83 ERA.

Carlos Gomez is boasting a slash line of .360/.415/.616 with Milwaukee these days. The rangy center fielder has 5 homers and 12 RBI this season, making some think he is making a move towards elite status.

Matt Cain has yet to find his footing in San Francisco this season. No wins, and an eye popping 6.49 ERA hang like an albatross on the starting pitcher. Still, it's a good bet that Cain will shake these troubles off and settle down.

Josh Hamilton is unable to hit home runs unless he plays the Astros this season. No word on whether or not those terrible stripey vintage jerseys are the key. Seriously, what is going on with this guy? He went 0-8 with a sac fly Monday and now has an average of only .202. Unsettling.

The best closer in the league is... Jason Grilli? The Pittsburgh reliever is in a four way tie for most saves in the league with 10. He shares this with Jim Johnson, Sergio Romo, and our own Mariano Rivera. But he has more strikeouts (17) than any of them, and his 0.82 ERA is only worse than Johnson's inhuman 0.64 by a microscopic sliver.

Slade Heathcott is in the news too.  We want to give Bronx Baseball Daily a shout out for their interview with Slade. Read that HERE.  Good work!

If you like this... we'll bring more to you over the season. Let us know.


 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. 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.

WHY RICH HARDEN'S A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

With Gio Gonzalez, John Danks, CJ Wilson, and Mark Buehrle all off the list of starting pitchers the Yankees could've acquired, to go along with the ridiculous trade prices of Mat Latos--who went to Cincinnati--and Matt Garza, we now have to avert to the next tier of starting pitchers. We know of Roy Oswalt and Hiroki Kuroda, but Brian Cashman hasn't been too keen of either one, or at least to the public. Like it or not, the Yankees may actually have a tight budget this winter. With that in mind, I looked through the Free Agent list, which you can read HERE, for some cheap alternative options, and I think I've found a guy that could be a fit. That guy is Rich Harden.

Before we go through the negatives with Harden, I want to look at the positives. Harden is a guy who misses bats (career 9.2 K/9), doesn't allow many hits (career 7.5 H/9), and limits runs (career 3.76 ERA).

Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. On the negative side, he walks too many batters (career 4.1 BB/9), allows a few too many homers (career 1.02 HR/9), and gets injured...A LOT. Harden has been on the disabled list nine times since 2005, with five of those DL stints being due to shoulder injuries. Check out Harden's injury history right HERE. It's not pretty, to say the least.
Not to mention, Harden hasn't been that great at all the last two years. Take a look...

2010-2011:

35 games, 33 starts, 9-9, 5.36 ERA, 174.2 innings, 1.52 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 4.8 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9

Now, after going through all the negatives I bet you're asking why he would be a good fit. First, his stock is basically rock bottom at this point, thus it will probably only take a one year deal worth around $2-3 million, could be less, who knows. The Yankees have a tight budget, but I don't think it's that tight, so money shouldn't be a problem here.
I'd give him a shot in Spring Training, and if he produces good results, while out-pitching other guys like AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes, etc, I bring him to the Bronx and have him in the starting rotation. If he craps out, so what? It's a low risk, high reward type of move for a guy with a lot of upside. Remember, it's just a one year deal, so they can DFA him and go a different route if he struggles. If it works out, great, Cashman will look like a genius, again.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. 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.