Rotation Update: Warren & Garcia to replace CC & Andy

CC Placed on 15-Day DL

The Yankees placed CC Sabathia on the 15-day DL today with a strained left adductor muscle. Here's a little more from the Daily News:

Sabathia said he felt it during his start on Sunday, but didn't tell the team until Tuesday. He gave up five runs - one earned - on nine hits and two walks in 5-2/3 innings against the Mets. It was the first time this season he didn't pitch six complete innings.

Girardi says that CC will likely only two starts and will be replaced in the rotation by Freddy Garcia who will start on Friday.

Garcia to the Pen, Phelps to the Rotation

From Bryan Hoch:

Freddy Garcia has been dispatched to the Yankees' bullpen, with rookie David Phelps first in line to take the veteran right-hander's place in the rotation.

Garcia was battered by the Tigers for six runs in 1 2/3 innings on Saturday in a 7-5 Yankees loss, the second straight start Garcia only recorded five outs, and the change did not come as a shock to the hurler.

"When you're pitching [poorly] out of the rotation, what do you expect?" Garcia said. "When you don't do your job, what are they supposed to do? That's what happened. They're honest. I didn't pitch the way I was supposed to pitch. It's reality."

...

"I'll be OK, man. I know," Garcia said. "I've been playing this game for a long time, and a lot of things happened to me before, and I always came off on the top. It's not going to be different. So, we'll see what happens."

With his 12.51 ERA this was a move the Yankees pretty much had to make.

Garcia To Start On Saturday

Following tonight's loss in Arlington, Joe Girardi announced that the Yankees will have their normal rotation after Thursday’s off day and will not be skipping Freddy Garcia. It was widely assumed that the Yanks would skip the struggling right-hander with the Tigers in town this weekend, but instead Garcia will get the ball on Saturday, with Nova pitching on Friday and CC finishing off the series on Sunday. If the Yankees had skipped Garcia, he would likely have pitched on Monday against the Orioles, a scenario that seems to make a lot more sense than the one Girardi decided to go with.

Garcia to be skipped?

From George A. King III:

Joe Girardi has his rotation set through Friday night against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium.

What the Yankees manager doesn’t have — at least publicly — is a starter for Saturday.

Since last night’s game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park was washed out, CC Sabathia starts tonight against the Rangers instead of working last night.

Ivan Nova goes Friday, but Girardi has options for Saturday. He can bring Sabathia back on regular rest or go with the struggling Freddy Garcia. But what Girardi won’t do is insert rookie David Phelps into the rotation.

“After that, we’ll see,’’ Girardi said of Nova.

Because Thursday — Garcia’s normal day — was dark on the schedule, skipping the veteran right-hander was possible. Now, that is a stronger possibility if another starter doesn’t require an extra day of rest.

It also mentions in the article that Girardi asked Garcia if he was healthy and the right-hander said he fine. At this point I see no reason not to skip him. Until the back end of the rotation is settled, there's no reason to throw back to back stinkers if you can avoid it, and in this case they can. Also, maybe the extra time off will help Garcia figure out what's going wrong on the mound.

Pettitte To Start For Double-A Trenton on Wednesday

From George A. King III:

Andy Pettitte is no longer just a hopeful wish to give the Yankees rotation a boost.

The 39-year-old un-retired lefty is scheduled to start for Double-A Trenton on Wednesday in New Jersey. It will be Pettitte’s fourth minor league outing, and he likely will throw 80 to 85 pitches. After that the Yankees likely would want Pettitte to come close to the 100-pitch mark in his final two minor league games.

“It’s getting closer to reality now,’’ Girardi said of Pettitte’s re-entry into the Yankees’ rotation after sitting out last season. “Sixty-eight pitches [Friday in an extended spring training game], you are getting closer. Andy was a guy who was right around 100 for us anyway.

“That’s realistic to look at three more minor league starts and make a real evaluation of where he is at,’’ said Girardi, who will have to remove somebody from the rotation to make room for Pettitte.

The sooner Andy can get back to the rotation, the better. With Hughes and Garcia throwing the ball as poorly as they have the rotation could use all the help they can get.

Rotation Decision Coming Soon

From WFAN:

Hiroki Kuroda went seven innings for the Yankees, allowing two runs and a homer while striking out six. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has said that Kuroda has solidified his spot as the team’s No. 2 starter behind CC Sabathia.

“The other years, we were almost searching for the five starters,” Girardi said. “This year, I think we’ve got six quality guys.”

Girardi expects to set his rotation this weekend. Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia and Michael Pineda are competing for three initial spots behind Sabathia and Kuroda.

“Somebody is going to be disappointed,” Girardi said. “That’s the worst part of this. And they have to get over their disappointment and help this team however we ask them to help us.”

Hughes and Nova are expected to make the rotation. That leaves Garcia and Pineda. The veteran versus the young gun.

“With a young guy, you think a little bit more about what he could be,” said Girardi. “With Freddy, we have a pretty good idea.”

Also, there's the question of what happens when Andy Pettitte is ready, but that's a question for the beginning of May.

Garcia OK After Taking Comebacker Off the Hand

Freddy Garcia was forced out of today's spring training game after being hit on his right hand by an Edwin Encarnacion liner. He was taken for x-rays after the game and luckily for the Yankees they came back negative.

The Yankees are saying he has a right hand contusion and so far there is no word on how much time he'll miss, if any.

Garcia Open To Any Role This Season

From George A. King III:

A starting pitcher in 327 of his 329 major league games, Freddy Garcia would prefer to remain in that spot with the Yankees this season.

However, if manager Joe Girardi sends the 35-year-old right-hander to long relief, he won’t have to listen to a protest.

“I have never pitched in the bullpen, but I feel fine [with] whatever happens,’’ Garcia said after a two-inning stint in the Yankees’ 7-4 win over the Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday, when he allowed two runs and four hits. “I will be ready for anything. It’s the manager’s decision and I have to do my job and go from there.’’

...

Had Garcia known the Yankees were going to add two more starters to the mix would he have decided to go elsewhere?

“Not really, I like it here,’’ said Garcia.

Not sure this means anything, besides that Freddy is saying all the right things. Then again, that's usually the case in early March. If Phil Hughes gets the 5th spot and craps the bed again, I don't think Freddy will be that OK rotting in the pen.

Sherman: Hughes Will Be The 5th Starter

From Joel Sherman:

We can pretend there is a competition going on for the Yankees’ No. 5 starter spot, but that is what it is. Pretend. The WWE stages more realistic battles.

The Yankees are saying it is Freddy Garcia vs. Phil Hughes. But their general manager is also saying this: He believes Hughes is, right now, a top-of-the-rotation starter. That has not been said about Garcia since, oh, about 2001.

So this is a competition only because the Yankees want to sell you that this is a competition. They do not want a prideful veteran in Garcia to be offended. They do not want Hughes, who showed up out of shape last year, to feel he is being handed anything. And with six weeks to Opening Day, the potential for injury or stumble means the Yankees see no reason to publicly declare even a front-runner, much less a winner.

But understand this: The competition is rigged. If it is close, Hughes wins. If it is advantage Garcia, but only slightly, Hughes wins. Hughes can only lose this by doing what he did last spring, having his fastball go on a mysterious hiatus. The early signs are Hughes’ better dedication to offseason conditioning has led to less gut and more heat.

Normally anything in February or March should be ignored, but it was obvious in his first live batting practice session yesterday that Hughes’ arm was quick and his fastball had life.

“It is a heavier ball,” Russell Martin said. “He changed his body. He looks more explosive. He has more arm speed, which leads to a better breaking ball and more deception on the changeup.”

Sherman may be right, but to me, I think this article is more of a product of a slow Tuesday in New York sports than anything based in reality--or at least a reality that can actually be based on one BP session on February 27th. Like Sherman himself said, "normally anything in February or March should be ignored".

If Hughes had ever met, or at least come close to expectations I might feel otherwise, but sadly that has not been the case. He's had many opportunities to prove himself to this team as a starter, and he's failed virtually every time. Between that, and the fact that Garcia was solid for the Yanks last year, Garcia at least deserves a fighting chance at that fifth spot.

Again, Sherman could be right because we all know a lot more goes into these types of decisions than just X's and O's. The Yankees might not want to continue to look bad over all the hype surrounding this guy and do everything in their power to get him back in the rotation for yet another chance. Though, if they do that despite a strong spring from Freddy they'll deserve all those April losses thanks to their forced decision.

This quote from Brian Cashman makes that seem like a strong possibility:

“Aside from last year [Hughes] was viewed, and not just by us, as one of the better young arms in the game; with success to prove it. He was a dominant reliever for us in 2009 and an All-Star as a starter in 2010. Why would I judge him by last year when he was injured? It feels like everyone wants to take him down a peg. I think he is a top-of-the-rotation starter.”

If it were up to me I'd base this decision on performance and not saving face. What about you?

Garcia and Hughes to Battle for 5th Spot in Rotation

From Dan Martin:

With one less choice to make now that A.J. Burnett is a Pirate, Joe Girardi’s decisions become clearer.

Yesterday, the manager indicated that Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia would likely battle for the final spot in the rotation and the batting order and bullpen will look a lot like they did toward the end of last year.

“You hope everyone is throwing well and that you have to make a tough decision,” Girardi said. “You go with an open mind; CC [Sabathia] is the Opening Day starter and go from there. All these guys are expected to be starters. Phil Hughes pitched well in both areas, but we envision him as a starter. Once again, we have a six-man rotation and we’ve got to whittle it down to five.”

Hughes is running out of chances quickly, so it would be great to see him step up and win this spot. That said, as a betting man I wouldn't lay a dollar on that happening.

Whither the Fifth Starter?

This post is semi-syndicated from The Yankee Analysts.

I cannot fathom a scenario in which A.J. Burnett is a Yankee come the spring … a palpable scenario, at least. Over the past two seasons, a total of eighty-six starting pitchers have tossed at least 300 IP. Of those, Burnett ranks 85th in ERA, 84th in FIP, and 69th in xFIP (progress!). The pseudo-heroics of the 2009 World Series are a distant memory at this point in time, and his "electric stuff" and "potential" would be more impressive if he was 25 instead of 35.

Why, then, would any other team take him? He has demonstrated the ability to remain durable over the last several seasons, and he can likely be had for pennies on the dollar ... in a market where Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang were signed for two years and eight figures. Additionally, Derek Lowe was moved for a fringe prospect and roughly $5 MM in savings. Carlos Zambrano was moved for a solid back of the rotation type and a bit of salary relief. This, at the very last, tells us that Burnett is movable – and not necessarily at the rate of a true sunk cost.

The real issue should be the roles of Garcia and Hughes. At this juncture, I’d prefer to see Garcia starting. While his upside is certainly limited, I believe a reasonable baseline would see him as a fine fifth starter. I don’t see much of a deviation, either, barring injury. That sort of dependability is worth quite a bit more than most realize, and it is a welcome addition to any rotation.

What of Hughes, then? I would like to see him building up arm strength in the minors. He has certainly had success at every level, but it’s worth noting that he has very few innings in the upper minutes. It’s a good venue for him to refine his curve and command, and it would allow him to step into the rotation in the event of an injury or ineffectiveness. I suspect that this will not be the case, and that Spring Training will award him every opportunity to join the rotation ... or end up in the bullpen. In my mind, though, that would be a mistake.

Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

Details of Freddy's Deal

According to the Post, Garcia, who is guaranteed $4 million next season, can make up to $5,575,000 next season thanks to some incentives included in his new deal. Garcia will make an additional $250K for starts 25, 27, 29 and 30, $275K for 31, and $300K for 32. With Garcia's spot in the rotation pretty much set, as long as he stays healthy he should be able to cash in on most of those.

Yanks Close To Resigning Garcia

Report: Yanks Interested in Bringing Garcia Back

From Mark Hale:

With Sabathia’s status resolved, the Yankees can move on to free agent starter Freddy Garcia, whose agent, Peter Greenberg, said yesterday the Yankees’ priority was resolving Sabathia’s contract, but the team also wanted Garcia to return.

Garcia, 35, was 12-8 this season with a 3.62 ERA.

“There’s definitely interest on their part and there’s interest on Freddy’s part in coming back,” Greenberg said.

The Yankees likely would offer Garcia arbitration if they don’t sign him prior to that point. Garcia is a Type-B free agent, meaning the team would get draft pick compensation.

Garcia turned out to be a great addition to the team in 2011, so I'd like to see him back next year. As of now we all assume they will go after another starter--Darvish or Wilson--but if that doesn't happen, having Garcia as an insurance policy would be a wise move.

Freddy Garcia is a Type B Free Agent

What does this mean?

The Yankees may offer Freddy Garcia arbitration in an effort to retain him on a one-year deal for the 2012 season. Should Garcia decline, perhaps with hopes and dreams of one final long(ish) term deal to close out his career, the Yankees would receive a supplemental round draft pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft if and when he signed elsewhere. Unlike a Type A free agent, such as Rafael Soriano, the signing team would not lose a draft pick, meaning the market for Garcia's services isn't necessarily limited for fear of losing a first or second round pick.

Considering Garcia's relative health and league-average performance over the past two years, I see no reason for the Yankees to not offer the veteran junkballer arbitration. The worst-case scenario would be that he accepts, makes $6 MM or so, and garners consideration at the back-end of the rotation. With the uncertainty surrounding the rotation, that doesn't sound too bad at all.

And a tip of the hat to MLBTR.

Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

MLBTR's Top Ten Minor League Deals of the Year

MLB Trade Rumors came out with their list of the top ten minor league deals of the season. Between the top ten and honorable mentions, five Yankees signings made the list.

1. Bartolo Colon, Yankees. He didn't pitch at all in the Majors in 2010, but this year Colon has a 3.33 SIERA in 152 innings. He's been a major cog in the Yankees' rotation. Some of his success may be owed to offseason stem cell treatments, which Yankees GM Brian Cashman was not aware of at the time of the signing.

...

4. Freddy Garcia, Yankees. Colon and Garcia have provided the Yankees 280 innings of 3.63 ball. Baseball's biggest spenders got a ton of bang for their buck on minor league deals this year.

Eric Chavez, Cory Wade and Luis Ayala made the honorable mention list. I've written about this before, but it's worth mentioning again that Cashman has always been great at landing some major impact players on small and/or minor league deals. This year, maybe more than any in the past, these small moves are one of the main reasons why the Yankees are 4 games up right now.

Injury Updates: Jeter, Garcia & A-Rod

First, the good news: Freddy Garcia is all healed up, and will be activated and start tonight's game in Baltimore.

Derek Jeter, on the other hand, isn't doing so great after fouling a ball off his knee yesterday. Here's more from Bob Nightengale:

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who feared Sunday that his bruised knee was much more serious, still likely will be out several games, including a key series against the Boston Red Sox.

...

Jeter suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off his right knee in the third inning of the opening game of the Yankee's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles. He planned to play in the second game, but after icing his knee, it began to swell. He worried that it was serious, and looked pale when he went in for X-rays, only to be relieved there was no broken bone.

"It was really bizarre, to be quite honest with you," said Jeter, who became the Yankees' all-time leader in games played (2,402) in the first game of the doubleheader, passing Mickey Mantle. "After we iced it is when it swelled up. It just blew up between games. It became a challenge."

Nightengale also reports that A-Rod will also likely miss the next few games because his sore thumb has gotten worse.

The Yankees also are expected to be without cleanup hitter Alex Rodriguez, who's bothered by a sore left thumb. He aggravated the injury from a week ago while diving for a ball at third base in Minnesota, sidelining him the second game of the doubleheader. The injury has worsened the last few days, Girardi said.

"If they can play, they can play," Girardi said. "My sense is, from watching both of them, they're not going to be able to. It is somewhat of a concern."

Garcia Ready To Return

From Tim Bontemps:

The Yankees may have one too many starting pitchers, but Freddy Garcia doesn't think he should be the odd man out.

"I've been doing my job all year, so I probably deserve to be in the rotation," Garcia said last night.

Yes he does.

When Garcia returns to the major league club, the question will now become which of the Yankees starters -- Garcia, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon and A.J. Burnett -- will remain in the rotation with CC Sabathia following the Yankees' series at Baltimore this weekend.

"It's not gonna be a problem this week, but I don't know what they [want to] do after we leave Baltimore," Garcia said. "We'll see what happens."

..."[The finger] was fine," Garcia said. "No problems. I'm ready for Saturday."

This should be interesting. Obviously, the odd man out should be Burnett, but his contract might just be enough to keep him in the rotation. We'll see what happens, but it would be a shame if Nova, Hughes or Garcia lost their rotation spot because of the Yankees blind faith in A.J. Burnett.

First-Half Report Card: Starters

CC Sabathia, A+

Named an All-Star for the second consecutive year, Sabathia shut out the Rays in the last game before the break for his league leading 13th win against just 4 losses. As good as Sabathia has performed in his first two seasons in New York, this may turn out to be his best.

Bartolo Colon, A+

When evaluating Colon, one has to consider what was expected of him entering the season. His signing was met with mockery and ridicule, perhaps justifiably, as the hurler had not been healthy since his Cy-Young award winning 2005 season. Now, beneficiary of a revolutionary stem-cell surgery, Colon is pitching better then at any other time in his career and is a legitimate top-of-the-rotation pitcher. Paired with Sabathia, the Yankees have a 1-2 punch of ample proportions (literally).

A. J. Burnett, C+

The A. J. Burnett of the first half is the best version one could hope for. I think everyone has stopped day-dreaming of what could be if he were to ever harness his stuff. He gets points for curtailing innings of spontaneous self-combustion.

Freddy Garcia, A+

It would be impossible to ask anything more of Freddy Garcia. The man seldom touches 90 miles-per-hour on the radar gun yet has pitched to a 3.13 ERA in the first half. 11 of his 15 starts have been quality (6 innings pitched, 3 or fewer earned runs allowed).

Ivan Nova, B

Ivan Nova was rewarded for a quality first-half performance with a demotion to AAA. Admittedly, the Yankees had little alternative with the return of PHil Hughes. They could have put Nova in the bullpen but decided they'd rather have him continue starting in the minors.

Phil Hughes, F

Let's face it, Hughes has been an underachiever since his arrival on the scene in 2007. This season has been no different. Possibly falling victim to the effects of last season's inning-spike, Hughes has been derailed by the infamous "dead arm". He has totaled only 15 innings in his four starts, allowing 18 earned runs. After a prolonged stay on the DL and extensive rehabilitation, Hughes returned before the All-Star break and showed off a slightly better fast ball.

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