The New York Yankees are 25 games over .500, 2 and half games in first place in the American League East (over the Tampa Rays), and 7 games in front for a playoff spot (ahead of the reeling Boston Red Sox). And yet, when starting pitcher Andy Pettitte went down on Sunday with a pulled groin, both fans and media alike called for a "major" trade to fill the Yankees pitching void.
All of a sudden, the Yankees should trade for Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook or Brett Myers. Brett Myers? Am I missing something here?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Yankees won the World Series last season with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Pettitte, a so-so Joba Chamberlain and a post-surgery Sergio Mitre in their rotation the second half of the season.
Now, they have Sabathia, Burnett, Phil Hughes, Javier Vazquez, and the fully healed Mitre. Even if Pettitte doesn't return, that would be at worst equal to last year. But Pettitte will be back in FIVE weeks. That's just 7 starts. He may be back even earlier.
It just goes to show you that the New York tabloids will write just about anything to sell papers, and sports radio shows will say anything for ratings.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman denied yesterday that the Yankees will be looking to replace Pettitte in a trade. As for the 7 starts he'll miss, "That's what Mitre is here for", he said.
Cashman is right. It isn't even close to time to press the panic button. Mortgaging the future to replace Andy Pettitte for 7 starts is simply assinine. As currently constituted, you can make the case that the Yankees still have the best starting rotation in baseball, or at the very least in the top five. That's plenty good enough to get through the next five weeks, don't you think?
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