I don't think it would be a bad idea if they did. With all the what ifs surrounding the Yankees staff this year it couldn't hurt to have some insurance.
Here's what Jon Heyman had to say on the topic:
Yankees
Potential need: Starting pitcher. Mike Mussina said his recent spring pasting is no cause for alarm. But scouts aren't so sure. They saw a fastball in name only, down from the high 80s to the mid or even low 80s and a continuing belief that he's nearing the end.
The Yankees would be better off keeping Joba Chamberlain in the pen, which would keep their fantastic late-game combo intact. But to do that, they'll need not only youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy to come through, but also Mussina to remain viable. Or they'll need to look into the free-agent market, which is a lot better then one might suspect at this point. They could sign Kyle Lohse, who's still available. Or if they don't mind waiting, they could try for Freddy Garcia, a past ace who's hoping to be back from shoulder trouble by midsummer.
I'm still somewhat confident that Mussina can have a decent year (don't ask me why), but if he cannot, it would be a good idea to have somebody waiting in the wings to take over that role. And since the Yankees seem to be leaning towards Joba starting the year in the pen - which is where he will probably stay - it wouldn't be such a bad idea to sign a pitcher like Lohse. He's not great, but neither was Aaron Small or Shawn Chacon, and that worked out OK.
I like Garcia even more, but he won't be available till June, or later, and the Yankees will need to figure this out before then.
Right now the Yankees have some depth the Yankees starting, but that can change in the blink of an eye. If Mussina continues to be awful, or someone gets injured, the Yankees go from having too many starters, to having not enough. The Yankee supposedly had enough starting pitching last year, and we saw how a couple of injuries threw a wrench into that idea.
Signing a pitcher can only help. Don't they say that "too much starting pitching never hurt anybody"? Well if not, I'm saying it: Too much starting pitching never hurt anybody.
What do you think? Should the Yankees sign Lohse, wait for Garcia, or go with what they have now?
2 Comments:
just found the blog, digging it.
i think they stick with what they have and keep their fingers crossed.
i don't share your optimism on mussina - he's been a great pitcher, but he's on vapors at this point. i'd be less worried if he was still getting the fastball up but getting hit, but his k/9 rate - consistently above 7 for well over a decade - fell off the table last year. this wasn't a bad luck thing, he just doesn't have the juice anymore.
i don't like the currently available options, either. lohse is mediocre in his best seasons - even when he was winning 14 games, he wasn't striking people out and his era was near the league average. it's very, very hard to be a long-term winner with those kinds of skills.
i'm much more curious about garcia, who would have been a GREAT pickup about four years ago. he's a proven commodity - still has a good fastball (50 k's in 58 innings last season), still consistently below league averages in era. he still gets people out...or did, before his surgery. his price will be low - i think it'd be worth taking a flyer on him.
...or someone in their contract year. sabathia's out, i think (and i don't like his long-term prospects anyway), and a.j. burnett would probably come too dearly for the payoff. but someone like jon garland or jason jennings or ryan dempster might become available. i'm never in favor of getting rid of the kids, but this team is so loaded offensively that they don't need much pitching to get it done.
ideally, joba moves into the rotation and mussina eats innings i the setup / long relief role, where he can be the "crafty veteran" and get through the lineup once on guts, guile, and a once-in-a-while 90 mph fastball.
Glad you like the blog.
My optimism regarding Mussina isn't based on anything besides hope, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if he has a terrible year. I don't mind him in a long-relief role, but did you say use him in the setup role as well? I don't think he's really suited for that.
I agree, Garcia is a much better pitcher than Lohse, I just think the Yankees will need help before Garcia becomes available in June.
By that time the Yankees may rather give Alan Horne or Jeff Marquez a shot.
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