Today is an off day for the Yankees, so the hot topic of conversation figures to be Andy Pettitte's groin and potential substitutes for him in the rotation while he rehabs it.
First of all, nobody needs to panic. The Yankees rotation has been a strength this season, and even without Pettitte temporarily, they're still able to send out three solid starting pitchers plus AJ Burnett (they won the World Series last year with just two plus Burnett). The schedule from now until the end of August is also far from the toughest stretch they've had - 17 games against the Indians, A's, Mariners, and Royals, as well as a bunch of games against good, but flawed, teams like the Blue Jays, Tigers, and White Sox.
With all that said, though, I hope that Brian Cashman at least considers alternatives from outside of the organization, because while the Yankees have a fine assortment of replacement-level pitchers at their disposal, "replacement-level" is what it is, and you're kidding yourself if you think Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, and Dustin Moseley are anything more than that.
I'm thinking about somebody like Jake Westbrook, Ted Lilly, or even Kevin Millwood (assuming he's healthy at some point), guys with track records of league average performance. None of them are studs, but they will give you innings and keep you in games, and all of them are free agents after this season and could likely be had on the cheap, especially if the Yankees are willing to eat the majority of their remaining salaries.
With Pettitte on the DL, Phil Hughes likely needing an occasional rest down the stretch, and the AL East likely to stay competitive down to the end of the season, the Yankees are going to need their 6th starter to contribute something, so they should use their financial strength to get somebody who actually has some business pitching in a pennant race (sorry Chad, Sergio, and Dustin).
- It's About The Money takes a good look at the Yankees first half performances to determine who has been "lucky" and "unlucky", or, perhaps more appropriately, who's likely to perform better in the 2nd half than the 1st and vice versa. Money quote:
If you take anything from this…anything at all, it is this: Stop freaking out about Joba. Stop. Stop. Stop. Dude will be fine.