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- Joe Girardi says that the odd man out of the rotation is not guaranteed a spot on the big league team. When it looked like Phil Hughes or Freddy Garcia would be that person, it was a common assumption that the pitcher who didn't make it would go to the pen. However, with the choice possibly coming down to Ivan Nova or Michael Pineda, the option would be AAA rather than the pen. All eyes will definitely be on Pineda and the radar guns when he takes on the Phillies this evening in Tampa.
- Manny Banuelos threw a cutter for the first time in a minor league game on Wednesday. He said he had been working on the pitch, but had never thrown it in a live game. I hear we have a couple guys on the team who can help him really harness that particular pitch. Banuelos liked the results from the cutter, and turned in a very solid outing, including a strikeout of Nick Swisher.
- Have you already broken out the panic button for whatever unexplainable reason? This won't make you feel better. Alex Geshwind at The Yankee Analysts discusses the worst case scenarios for the 2012 Yankees. Oh, doom and gloom.
- If you read nothing else in this news post, I encourage you to at least check out this article from Hippeaux at It's About the Money. It discusses the recent history of moving a pitcher from bullpen to rotation and vice versa. The topic is very sensitive to Yankee fans who have seen Hughes and (specifically) Joba Chamberlain bounced all around, but the concept is certainly not a unique one.
- Beyond the Box Score previewed the 2012 Yankees and concluded that there isn't a lot holding this team back as long as they are able to stay on the field, of course. Here's hoping.