The Relievers Situation
by Brandon C. on Mar 1, 2010 8:00 AM EST
in Analysis
19 comments
Since the Yankees signed Chan Ho Park I have received many tweets and emails complaining that the Yankees have too many MLB capable relievers. I never thought I would receive such an email because isn't having an over-abundance of relievers a good thing?
Right now Joe Girardi has said he wants to carry 12 pitchers on the MLB roster out of spring training. Here are the candidates:
Making the Team: A.J. Burnett, Damaso Marte, Chan Ho Park, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, CC Sabathia, Javier Vazquez
Should Make Team: Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes
Right now that's 11 players. One spot left for the following players to compete for:
Jon Albaladejo, Chad Gaudin, Kei Igawa, Boone Logan, Mark Melancon, Sergio Mitre, Dustin Moseley, Royce Ring, Romulo Sanchez (not including all the pitchers with numbers in the upper 80's that really have no chance)
That's nine people competing for one spot. Here's a few options on how to fix that:
1. Do absoluetly nothing. The Yankees could use every reliever they have, along with the great AAA and AA depth they have in the bullpen. No point in risking losing a solid pitcher that could help them out in the future. Pick one of the nine to make the team and send the other eight to AAA and AA.
2. Send the loser of the Joba/Hughes competition to AAA to work as a starter until the MLB team needs him. That leaves two spots for the nine players. Narrow the nine down to four or five players and pick two of them to make the MLB team.
3. Trade one of the nine along with another player to the Dodgers for the full rights to Jamie Hoffmann.
4. Get rid of Mitre, use Gaudin in the MLB, only carry one lefty in the pen.
5. Take another lefty (either Logan or Ring)
Those are the options that the Yankees have. Any combination of the options could work for them. My personal move would be to just completely cut ties with Mitre. Try to trade Albaladejo and someone for Hoffmann. Send the loser of the Phil/Joba battle to AAA for a little while and if no one gets hurt figure it out from there. Carry Gaudin and Logan/Ring as the 11th and 12th men.
Overall, however, the abundance of relievers is never a problem. With players such as Grant Duff, Kevin Whelan, etc, developing quickly, the only way it could be a problem is if the abundance of older players that aren't prospects block the young players paths to the MLB. Thoughts on what the Yankees should do?
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I’d like to see Romulo or Melancon make the squad…but I doubt it.
I’m thinking Gaudin’s got the last spot. Of course it will sustain the life of a few Joba + Phil to the pen cretins…but that’s OK.
Tho you could be a bit too quick to give HO Park a roster spot. I know they signed him to a fairly large deal (at least compared with the others he’s competing with) but I don’t think he’s guaranteed anything just yet.
Master of the squeegee
Ho Park
I wasn’t at all satisfied with any performance i’ve seen out of him. So i have to agree with you that Girardi hasn’t made a decision about him yet either
by Gangsta Yanksta on Mar 1, 2010 8:47 AM EST up reply actions
Ho Park?
Isn’t that the Amsterdam equivalent of an office park? With prostitutes instead of white collar workers.
by Leviticus6688 on Mar 1, 2010 10:35 AM EST up reply actions
Jesus christ
Have you not learned anything the last 25 yrs watching baseball?2-3 of them will go down in spring,2 more will play the first month and have to go on the 15 day dL and so on and so on.You never have enough of these finicky clowns,cause sure as shit the guy who rocked last yr will suck this yr.But thats enough about baseball lets talk about lesbians and how to make a proper bong.
I wish I were an Oscar Myer wiener.I farted in the bathtub and the bubbles messaged my pee pee.Somebody stole my Billy goat and now I have no one to drink with..
by cashman bashman on Mar 1, 2010 6:21 PM EST up reply actions
You see that little dog over to the right?
Get one and take it to the park,next thing you know the panties are everywhere.I’m bringing mine to the rumored Ho Park in the bullpen this yr.And no you cannot borrow mine.
I wish I were an Oscar Myer wiener.I farted in the bathtub and the bubbles messaged my pee pee.Somebody stole my Billy goat and now I have no one to drink with..
by cashman bashman on Mar 1, 2010 6:25 PM EST up reply actions
Gaudin deserves to make the club, spot start, pitch plenty of innings in blowouts . Would prefer to see Joba stay as the setup guy and not switch roles all season. IMO, that makes Park the 12th reliever, a job I hope he wins because I don’t want to see Melancon sit on the pines for 10 straight days and then expect him to come in in throw strikes. There’s just aren’t enough spots to give Melancon the consistent work a young reliever needs. If he’s so dynamite this spring he takes a job from Robertson or Aceves that’s cool, but, expect him on the Scranton shuttle often unless it’s an emergency starter the Yanks need. Trade Igawa for some street meat and bag of peanuts.
I would say take the trade route,
but Gaudin looks to be quite valuable as a “swingman” and Mitre has very very little value right now given last year’s performance. Eventually there will be some injury either in the rotation or in the ’pen, freeing up another spot. As Brandon said, the overabundance of pitchers is never a bad thing.
1. Do absoluetly nothing. The Yankees could use every reliever they have, along with the great AAA and AA depth they have in the bullpen. No point in risking losing a solid pitcher that could help them out in the future. Pick one of the nine to make the team and send the other eight to AAA and AA.
I think this is the best and only option. Remember, going into last season, Brian Bruney, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, and Damaso Marte began the season as four of the team’s top relievers, and two of them get hurt while the other two fell off a cliff.
The best way to build an effective bullpen is to stockpile arms and let them sort themselves out.
I don’t like Gaudin one bit, and I think he pulled an Aaron Small/Shawn Chacon last season. He will not duplicate his 2009 performance with the Yankees, and my guess is that he’ll be traded/released before the season is over.
Park didn’t sign with the Yankees to compete for a spot, and there is no need for competition. Get over what happened in Texas, he’s actually pitched pretty well as a reliever/spot starter over the past two seasons, far better than we can reasonably expect from Gaudin.
Don't you see the inherent contradiction in those two statements??
The argument being made is that if you throw enough crap at the wall, some of it will stick, and you can get a serviceable bullpen. If you’ve got 10-12 cheap, younger, guys that can shuffle in and out of 5 spots in the bullpen, you can play the hot hand, see who emerges, and build a bullpen.
What’s absolutely not needed is taking a very high quality prospect like Joba or Hughes and letting them languish in such a role. What’s most important for both of them is getting them into a role that isn’t a dime a dozen, which is starting. And if we want both of them to be starters in 2011, the most important thing is for Hughes to throw 120-150 innings this year, which is why he’ll probably spend some time in AAA.
This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Fig Newtons.
Good idea
Your plan is exactly what i would do. Mitre is GARBAGE…we only signed him for the ability to trade him later. He was so bad last year…had only one good start i think but got hurt halfway through…anyway Joba should start,hughes goes to AAA and starts and we trade a reliever or two for Hoffmans rights(i think hes got some real talent) .
Revolving door to #28 ...
As 3460kuri suggests we have great depth and talent. Given that strength, I would utilize it by having a revolving door of relievers on my speed dial. When one gets fatigued, send him to AA, AAA for some R&R bringing up a fresh arm to fill the gap.
I think this approach does two things: First, it keeps injuries down because managers aren’t constantly defaulting to the same guy ala Joe Torre … Second, it provides an opportunity for young arms to establish themselves. This is a win win.
"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will
I like Do nothing ...
Gives them options … also…
1) Gaudin is likely at the top of his value curve. Only viable trade option.
2) Mitre and Igawa are dead weight for now…
3) I would like to see Melancon pitch every few days for the big club.
But all told… Option 1 is best to me… when injuries pop…
They have options. If someone implodes… They have options… and if someone pitches FANTASTIC in AAA… maybe they have new trade bait.
I anticipate a long stretch this season where Joba and Phil will both be pitching in the rotation (#5 spot + injuries to Pettite or AJ).
You can't do nothing. There are only 40 roster spots.
1) Some people are going to get released outright, either because they don’t impress or don’t want to accept a minor league assignment.
2) Support for sending Hughes to the minors continues to boggle my mind. If he’s in the bullpen, he’s the second best guy there. I wouldn’t send him down until someone got hurt. That’s just wasting his season.
3) They signed Mitre because they think he will be better a year further removed from surgery. He might even attain “doesn’t suck quite so much-itude.” If he does, they might keep him.
4) Park probably makes the team.
by designatedquitter on Mar 1, 2010 2:46 PM EST reply actions
Chan Ho Park is no lock
While Chan Ho Park did a good job for the Phillies last year, let’s not forgot who this guy really is. He is very inconsistent and is aging. I’m curious to see what his fastball clocks in at but I’m guess low 90s. I wouldn’t give him a guarunteed spot on the roster just yet.
by South Jersey Wedding Photographer on Mar 2, 2010 12:08 AM EST reply actions
Park is a lock
I will guarantee that unless he gets hurt or has an ERA over 6.00 or 7.00 he will make the team. They didn’t sign him to a minor league deal and he didnt sign unless he got a guaranteed 40 man spot. I know that isn’t the same thing as the 25, but he will not go to AAA with the Yankees, that much I know.
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