Shaking out the rotation

Going off a great article written by Chad Jennings of the Journal News, there seems to be a misconception as to the 5-man starting rotation for the 2012 season.


To everyone it seems obvious that there is only 1 spot up for grabs at this point, the 5th slot, between Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes.  However, Joe Girardi said some interesting things today in Tampa about how he views his group of starters, and that only CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda are guaranteed a place in the rotation.  "We’ve got a competition here," he said. "We have to iron out five spots, and sometimes the five you leave with aren’t the five you end up with. We’ve got time. There’s no rush."

Just based on the words said, that would mean we are to assume that not even last year's 16-game winner Ivan Nova, and this winter's prized pickup Michael Pineda are locked in.  

"If they go out and they struggle," Girardi explained, "or they perform badly in spring training and they don’t have anything, or they’re not right where they’re supposed to be and you guaranteed them that spot and we say, ‘You know what, we don’t think you’re ready and we’re going to send you down,’ the guy goes, ‘You guaranteed me a spot and I was working on things.’ You gotta go out and earn it."

To me the quotes look like typical coach-speak, and overall fairly vague.  What I take away from that is that CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda are his number 1 and 2 starters.  Everything after that is open.  Not open as in they are looking for 3 starters, but open as in they are looking to fill spots 3-5, and figure out which pitcher fills which spot.  We know who he has to choose from, there can't be any surprises in terms of filling those three spots.  We know Pineda will be there because if he's not, why give up Jesus Montero for him?  Nova will be there too, he came up huge last year, and exceeded most people's expectations.  What Girardi was trying to say was that he hasn't told anybody that they are the "3rd starter," etc.  He's letting them know that they're going to be in the rotation, but that they have to earn their place in terms of number.

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On another note, today Girardi announced Robinson Cano will be his third hitter this year, and that he will build the lineup from there.  He said nobody else is fixed in their place in the order, but he'd like to have Cano be the permanent third hitter, and with good reason.

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Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post

It's official: Burnett is out

The rumors had been rampant for about a week, but the feeling had been growing for a few months.  Yankee fans, and people within the organization knew A.J. Burnett was a goner, it was just a matter of when, and where.  With the winter additions of righties Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, Burnett's days in the Bronx were no doubt numbered.  There were now 7 starters to fit into a 5-man rotation, somebody had to go, and he was likely to be the odd man out.


Well now it is official, A.J. Burnett is no longer a New York Yankee.  On Friday, reports said that the Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates had finally agreed upon to the rumored deal that would send the righty to the Bucs.  The Yankees would be sending the inconsistent 35-year-old to Pittsburgh along with $20 million of the $33 million remaining on his contract, in exchange for two minor leaguers, outfielder Exicardo Cayones, 20, and reliever Diego Moreno, 25.  Because of the large amount of cash being sent from New York to Pittsburgh, the teams were waiting upon approval from the Commissioner's Office to make it a done deal.  Today, Burnett passed his physical with the Pirates, and the powers that be cleared the trade.


Burnett's three-year tenure with the Bombers was certainly an odd one, a time of ups and downs on the mound.  There were some poor moments, cutting his hands after a bad outing two seasons ago, pitching with an unexplained black eye in 2010, and a rumored feud with manager Joe Girardi in 2011.  And there were some good moments, Game 2 of the 2009 World Series.  After losing Game 1 at the hands of Cliff Lee and the Phillies, Burnett came up big in a must-win spot and made a name for himself as a Yankee with a 7-inning, 4-hit, 9-strikeout performance to even the series.  Much of the time since that October evening don't serve as good memories for Burnett or Yankee fans, as he went a combined 21-26, with a 5.20 ERA over the 2010 and 2011 seasons, hardly living up to the 5-year, $82.5 million contract he signed prior to the 2009 season.


With the move of Burnett to Pittsburgh, the Yankees rotation picture looks a little clearer as pitchers and catchers officially reported today.  As of today, it seems that Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia will compete for the final spot in a rotation that will include CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, and Hiroki Kuroda.  In addition, with approximately $13 million coming off the payroll, the team is said to be pursuing, and rumored to sign, both OF/DH Raul Ibanez, and IF Eric Chavez.
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Photo Credit: Associated Press