Friday, July 31, 2009

One Last Suggestion

With only hours before the deadline their is one move that seems to jump out to me that the Yankees should do that nobody is talking about. They need a starting pitcher right now. Sergio Mitre has impressed nobody in his first two starts and nobody expects him to stick. As we get closer to the deadline, options keep coming off the table. The one guy that seems to be both available for a reasonable price and be able improve the Yankees is Brian Bannister.

A year ago when somebody suggested him I thought they were crazy. This year though, he has broken out and established himself as an effective pitcher. He made some changes to his approach in the offseason and has lowered his FIP to 4.13 through 116 innings this year. His GB% has shot up over ten percent and his K/BB is better than his career mark. Bannister is also under team control at a cheap price for the next few years. This is a guy who could actually have a spot in the Yankees rotation for years to come.

They were right to shy away from Cliff Lee and Jarrod Washburn. Its also probably a good idea to avoid the asking price for Roy Halladay. However, I have to hope with four hours left, that they're still looking for a starting pitcher. If they are, Brian Bannister is their guy.

Shameless Self Promotion: Don't forget about our live chat from 3-4 PM ET leading up to the deadline (may run a little late).

5 Comments:

crossfire said...

Starting depth will become an issue especially when Joba's innings limit is up.

Bannister is not a bad option. He doesn't give you a solid 7 all the time but he would provide some depth to a rotation that is one injury away from being in big trouble.

Greg Cohen said...

I said earlier today that he'd be a solid plan B. if they didn't land Washburn. Well, they didn't get Washburn so let's land plan B.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone feel like Cashman is waiting on the Red Sox to see if he'll pull the trigger?

-G

Greg Cohen said...

Mike, I just sent you and Carlos emails inviting you to be a "panelist" for today's chat.

Greg Cohen said...

Yes, Cashman likes to know what he's dealing with before making a move. If he does anything it will probably be at the last minute.