Enough with the Joba thing already.

I just thought I'd put this out there—Tyler Kepner (New York Times) makes an excellent point over at the Bats blog about the Joba debate:

To me — and to the Yankees, from what I can tell — there’s really no debate anymore about Joba Chamberlain’s role. Look, the Yankees already have a lights-out setup man: Brian Bruney. In 31 games from the bullpen last season, Bruney’s earned run average was 1.95, and opponents hit .153. In 30 games from the bullpen last season, Chamberlain’s E.R.A. was 2.31, and opponents hit .211. So, Bruney was actually better. Besides, if the Yankees make the playoffs, Chamberlain will probably have thrown so many innings as a starter that he’ll have to be a reliever in October, anyway. Chamberlain has the stuff to be an elite starter, and Bruney has the stuff to be an elite setup man — with the top prospect Mark Melancon poised to contribute as well. To me, it’s really pretty simple.

It is important to note that Bruney wasn't a designated setup man like Joba was last year, and that the pressures of that role are different from pitching in other situations. But still, Bruney's bullpen performance last year in addition to Joba's doozy on July 25th at Boston should make it clear to everybody that Joba belongs in the rotation to begin the season.

And that's where the debate should end. Right?