General manager Brian Cashman said every Yankees pitcher not named CC Sabathia or Mariano Rivera is "auditioning for a role" in the postseason.Honestly, I trust Nova, in almost any situation, more than Vazquez, and probably even more than Burnett at this point. If he continues to pitch like he's been pitching I would not be surprised at all to see him one the mound in October, and would be disappointed if he wasn't.
The size of a player's paycheck, he said, will have no bearing on how or if he is used in October.
That means rookie right-hander Ivan Nova, with all of 24 innings pitched in the major leagues, has as much of a chance of starting a playoff game as A.J. Burnett, who is in the second year of a five-year deal that pays him $16.5 million a season.
"Everything will be decided in these last three weeks," Cashman said Wednesday night. "The guys who we think give us the best chance to win are the guys who are going to pitch."
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"Aside from CC, nothing is guaranteed for anyone," Cashman said. "Some guys who are starters now may wind up pitching out of the bullpen. We'll make that determination based on how well they perform down the stretch for us."
Also, with Hughes' innings limit and looking burnt out overall, maybe you move him back to the pen for end of the season and into the playoffs, while going with a rotation of CC, Pettitte, Nova and either Burnett or Vazquez (probably Burnett). It strengthens the pen and I wouldn't feel too bad about that rotation either.
Thoughts?
