Wang got shellacked today. No apologies from this Wang to the rotation blogger. Wang should be in the rotation for the next month, at least.
Here's another reason why:
The Yanks have chosen to go year to year with Wang, and the presumption 'round these parts has always been that when the rotation got crowded enough that Wang would be the easy one to trade- his salary is ahead of the other young guns, he's garnered the wins and the Cy Young votes to be a sexy pick-up, and he's got the marginal peripherals (K/BB) to suggest he can't maintain his performance long term.
So the Yankees have to let Wang be a starter and hope he rebounds if they hope to harvest any return on their investment at the trade deadline in two months (8-9 starts).
It might not matter at all who is the best choice for the rotation at the moment.
I wouldn't trade Wang right now. First, because his value is at its lowest. Second, if Pettitte is likely to retire at the end of the season, I'm not ready to begin next season without a surer quality 6th starter than Kei Igawa or Ian Kennedy.
But Cashman has shown great willingness to trust his farm to provide the parts he needs. And at 29, CMW is certainly not getting any younger. If he could bring back a AAA quality bat, maybe at shortstop, maybe in the outfield, plus a lower prospect, a good GM would have to listen, especially with CC, AJ, Joba, and Phranchise all on the roster for the long term.
Wang may be hanging in the rotation until Cashman is convinced the pitcher won't bring back his value.