[新聞] Inbox: What's the plan for the rotation?

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Inbox: What's the plan for the rotation?
Beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers Yanks fans' questions
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

11/16/09 12:13 PM EST

I have some questions about what 2010 looks like for the Yankees.
What will the rotation be? Will it include Chad Gaudin, Andy Pettitte,
Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain? Is Kei Igawa still a possibility?
-- Torben B., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

You're asking a lot to drag out the crystal ball so soon in the offseason,
but let's take a swing at it. The first domino that needs to be decided is
if Pettitte wants to keep pitching, and thus far he really hasn't tipped his
hand much. It seems like we go through this dance every year, where Pettitte
considers hanging them up and going home to his family in Texas, and this
could be the year. If you think about it, isn't this the perfect exit? He
walks out a World Series champion, having won the clinching game in every
round of the postseason. At this point in his career, what else does he have
to prove?

Let's put it this way -- I figure if Pettitte does want to empty his tank,
the Yankees will find a way to let him. He won't come cheaply, not after he
had to claw for that incentive-laden deal for 2009 that he later admitted he
wasn't really happy with. The Yankees will have to ante up to keep him, and
if he's game, they probably will because he's as likely as anyone to be a
reliable piece of their rotation.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said this month that he sees
Chamberlain and Hughes as starting pitchers, which shouldn't be a shock to
anyone -- it's the same thing they've been saying as an organization for
years. That's the way they figure to enter Spring Training, and let's
remember that is always subject to change depending on needs. If you had
walked up to Hughes in March and told him he'd be Mariano Rivera's setup man
by September, he wouldn't have believed you. The original plan was for Hughes
to go back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and continue starting. It just
so happened that the Yankees wound up filling a need with the parts they had
available.

As for Gaudin, expect the Yankees to bring him back. He showed enough in his
limited opportunities to earn a crack at the back end of the rotation next
spring, as well as Sergio Mitre and the usual gang of alternative candidates.
And Igawa? I don't expect to see him at the big league level again in a
Yankees uniform. Sure, I could be wrong. But what purpose would he serve?

What are the chances of the Yankees signing Matt Holliday and using
Johnny Damon as the DH? That was basically the way they did it in 2009
with Hideki Matsui, so can the Yankees do the same with Holliday?
-- Neil G., Yonkers, N.Y.

Sure, why not? No one is guaranteeing that Damon is coming back, and if
Scott Boras really is looking for more than a one or two-year deal, he
probably isn't. The Yankees swear that sentimentality won't force them into
throwing wads of cash at Damon and Matsui, but there's no reason to think
the Yankees won't kick the tires on a guy like Holliday, and at least lay
in the weeds to see if there's a reason to make a power play later in the
game.

We've seen this before: Cashman said that the Yankees don't expect to
spend a ton of money in the free-agent market again, but if you drew up
the '09 Yankees roster last November, you would have had Nick Swisher as
the starting first baseman. Somehow they dug up the $180 million for
Mark Teixeira and that seemed to work out pretty well. The idea of a
revolving-door DH between Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, Teixeira and
others still makes some sense, but never say never with this team.

Are the Yankees thinking about re-signing Jose Molina, or are they going
to stick with Francisco Cervelli as their backup catcher?
-- Jess C., New York, N.Y.

Good question, and possibly bad news for A.J. Burnett, who clicked so well
with Molina down the stretch. There's no taking away from what Molina meant
to the roster in terms of presence and veteran smarts, but that comes at
a price and it seems unclear if the Yankees are willing to pay it again for
a 34-year-old backup catcher.

The Yankees really had no intention of giving Cervelli much time at the big
league level in '09, but he did open a lot of eyes with the way he took guys
like Burnett, CC Sabathia and Pettitte aside on the bench between innings and
spit harsh words at them, not sugar-coating his directions to the pitchers.
That was impressive for a 23-year-old rookie, and while no one is eager to
part company with Molina, Cervelli planted a seed that he can at least be
capable in that role.

Are the Yankees bringing Chien-Ming Wang back? Even if they do, will they
sign another big pitcher like John Lackey or trade for Roy Halladay?
-- Sol, Lakewood, N.J.

Well, I certainly wouldn't expect Cashman to stand in a hallway somewhere
and say he didn't pull the trigger on either of those guys with his reason
being because Wang is back. To me, they're exclusive of one another.

The reality is, whatever Wang potentially provides in the future has to
be viewed as a bonus. Maybe he returns to the form of a 19-game winner,
but I think the Yankees need to be ready for the idea that he may never
be that pitcher again.

It's business: expect to see the Yankees decline arbitration to Wang --
there's no reason to pay him $4 million based upon '09 -- and then try to
re-sign him to a lesser, incentive-based deal. Wang's comfort in the Yankees
circle may work against him financially in this scenario, because it does
not seem like he has any interest in going elsewhere.

What is Andrew Brackman's projected role and will we see him next year?
-- Paulash P., Somerset, N.J.

Only if you're watching Minor League games. Brackman struggled with his
control this season at Class A Charleston, going 2-12 with a 5.91 ERA and
walking 76 batters while striking out 103 in 106 2/3 innings. Expect to
see him starting, as he needs to polish his mechanics and develop his
changeup as he continues to come back from Tommy John elbow reconstruction
surgery.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs

http://tinyurl.com/yh2fbzc

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