The Rotation

Basically, the way I see it, if we sign someone big this offseason or make a trade it has to be a strong #2 starter to anchor our rotation. Burnett is not meant to be a #2 starter. Some days he's lights out, but other days he's so bad it's bewildering. We need someone more reliable.

Unfortunately for us, the free agent market is very thin this year, especially in terms of starting pitchers. John Lackey is the only true ace available and would give us an incredible 1-2 punch pitching after CC. Unfortunately, he is also a type A free agent and will command a sizeable deal along the lines of what Burnett got, perhaps more. That being said, he's a better pitcher than Burnett, and younger as well, but he also has a rough history with injuries, missing significant portions of the last two seasons. We can't say for sure whether the front office will be willing to spend big again after last offseason, especially with Cashman looking to lower the payroll.

There are a number of other options as well. Erik Bedard is a good type B free agent who has shown some excellent stuff over the past few seasons.However, he also has a history of injuries. He had a fantastic beginning to 2009 before getting injured in May and missing the rest of the season. He would be excellent if he can stay healthy and still a strong #2.

Ben Sheets is another type B free agent whose name is often mentioned. If it weren't for this thin market, I doubt he'd be considered, but his numbers have been fairly decent (career 3.72 ERA). He is yet another oft-injured pitcher, and missed the entirety of the 2009 season following elbow surgery. Not only that, he has spent his entire career in the inferior National League, and his ERA could jump by half a point entering the AL. I'd say pass on this one.

Rich Harden is a type B possibility. He has a career 3.39 ERA and is relatively young compared to most of the others at 28. He didn't have a great 2009 with a 4.09 ERA for the Cubs, but is a power pitcher who gets a lot of strikeouts. He's had some injuries, but not recently. I wouldn't mind seeing him in pinstripes.

Justin Duchscherer is a type B free agent who might be considered. His numbers have been great (career 3.14 ERA for Oakland) and he was an All Star in 2008. However, Duchscherer is a strange case, to say the least. He's had some injuries in the past, and was scheduled to return to the A's in August this year after surgery, but was diagnosed with depression and missed the rest of the year. If you'll remember, another pitcher by the name of Zack Greinke was diagnosed with depression and came back on a rampage. Duchscherer could be cheap, and would be a low risk, high ceiling type guy if we signed him.

Then there's a wild card in Cuban Aroldis Chapman. Chapman, a 22 year old who has never pitched in the major leagues, is one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory. His fastball can reach 100mph. The bidding for him will likely go pretty high, but with the Red Sox interested the Yankees may join in just to prevent him from going to them. It would be expensive and risky, which I don't think is what this team needs right now, but like all risks, it has a high reward potential.

I hope we get one of the pitchers above. Much of 2009 was spent with no real #5 starter and a weak #4 in Joba, who was good but had a terrible end to the season. This is primarily because Wang blew up early in the season and we were forced to rely on Gaudin or Mitre throwing every 5th day to get by. I think that Joba is destined for the rotation, but he needs more time to develop. He should be in the #5 spot. Gaudin and Mitre are trash. Our first priority should be to convince Andy to come back. Andy should be offered a contract every year until he decides to retire. If we sign someone, Burnett can be dropped to #3 and Andy will be an excellent #4 starter. With Wang coming back around the All-Star break, we can give him a few starts and if he reaches his previous level of excellence we will have one of the best rotations in the history of baseball. He can be placed in the #4 spot and Andy can move down to #5. Joba can go to the bullpen where he will pitch well and avoid his end-of-season collapse. If Wang can't recover, we still have a great rotation and since our offense is already excellent, we should be able to easily repeat in 2010.