Last week I asked if the Yankees should sign an extra starting pitcher, today let's discuss adding a left-hander for the bullpen. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Yankees are looking to acquire one:
The Yankees are looking far and wide for a left-handed reliever. According to scouts, they have their eyes on Pittsburgh's Damaso Marte and Colorado's Brian Fuentes.Here are their 2007 and career stats:
Marte
2007: 2-0, 2.38 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 51 K, 18 BB in 45 1/3 IP
vs. lefties: .094 BAA
vs. righties: .271 BAA
Career: 17-21, 3.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 437 K, 186 BB in 407 2/3 IP
vs. lefties - .193 BAA
vs. righties - .296 BAA
Fuentes
2007: 3-5, 3.08 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 56 K, 23 BB, in 61 1/3 IP
vs. lefties - .204 BAA
vs. righties - .207 BAA
Career: 16-22, 3.53 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 398 K, 157 BB, in 359 1/3 IP
vs. lefties - .218 BAA
vs. righties - 228 BAA
Acquiring either of these guys would be a nice addition to the pen, as long as the Yankees don't get ripped-off in the process. People have been speculating that it could cost Alan Horne or Jeff Marquez, plus a lower level prospect. I'd trade Marquez, but I'm not sure about Horne. And you never know, the Pirates may even ask for more.
Besides the cost, another thing that worries me is that Marte and Fuentes are National League pitchers. NL pitchers have a bad track record when coming over to the AL.
Remember Felix Rodriguez?
And speaking of guys named Felix, remember Felix Heredia and his 6.28 ERA? I wouldn't want to give up that much for the next Felix Heredia. And remember, Heredia had some very good years in the NL, he was supposed to help. So was Rodriguez for that matter.
At least Marte has pitched effectively in the AL before, which is why I would rather him over Fuentes.
There are other options; Billy Traber and Heath Phillips are the in-house options. So far, both have been pretty impressive this spring. Traber has thrown three hitless innings, striking out 4 and walking none. In 3.1 innings, Phillips has only given up 2 hits while striking out 4, and he also hasn't walked a batter.
Traber has shown throughout his career that he can be effective against lefties, holding them to a .210 BA. Phillips has only faced 10 lefties in his short ML career, and they have hit .385 against him, but again, it's only ten batters, I wouldn't draw any conclusions from 10 batters.
It's likely that neither of the two are going to be good as Fuentes or Marte, but they won't cost anything, and, if given the chance, might surprise people.
Another option for the Yankees could be Kei Igawa, but I still don't trust him, and he walks too many. (I don't really consider him an option, but they're payed a lot for him so they may force it.)
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So, what do you think?
Should the Yankees trade for a left-handed reliever,
or should they use one of the in-house options?
Should the Yankees trade for a left-handed reliever,
or should they use one of the in-house options?
You're right about National league relievers. They scare me. I'm not sure I'd trade for a National league reliever but the Yankees do need a left handed one.
ReplyDeleteWho would you be willing to give up? And which of the two would you prefer, Fuentes or Marte?
ReplyDeleteOne thing many of the recent championship teams have all had in common is being carried by a strong reliever for a good 6-8 weeks in any part of the regular season. Strong relievers shorten games as any real yankees fan knows.
ReplyDeleteLast year the Sox got a huge lift when Okajima was unhittable, pitching numerous scoreless innings in a row. Further back to 2005, Bobby Jenks was unstoppable. The yankees, with Joba probably headed to the starting rotation will be in need of bullpen depth. With Farsnworth's poor 'troubled step-child' attitude toward the main goal of the team and his inability to be consistant, a strong confident lefty reliever would do the yankees very well. Be it Marte or Fuentes, I'd like to see a move be made to show that us fans are not the only ones who realize this. I'm curious to see the success level of Hawkins and Veras. They could play huge rolls in the yankees future.
Long story short; the yankees need more relievers who just flat out go after hitters. I'm tired of walks followed by big homers. Not everyone throws 99mph, but it doesnt hurt to get some young live arms out there, who can just dish out some good old country hardball.
James,
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said, and as long as they don't get fleeced in the process the Yankees should acquire one of these guys. Like I said in the post, I'd rather have Marte because he has experience in the AL in the past.
food for thought, this spring:
ReplyDeletekei igawa with shades on 1.0 IP 4ER 1H 2BB 1HBP 2K
but lookin snazzy.
kei igawa without shades on, 4.0IP 0ER 0H 3BB 3K but ugly as sin... coincidence?
lol OK, so Igawa cannot pitch on sunnday days, great!
ReplyDeleteAlso for anyone still thinking about this deal, Steve Lombardi over at WasWatching.com posted a very interesting stat that we all should look at, check it out.