Mike Mussina

That being said, what about Mike Mussina?

The Moose has a lifetime ERA of 3.69, 2804 strikeouts and 268 wins (and counting) in his many seasons. But all things considered, does that make him worthy of a bust next to Goose Gossage?

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erek Lowe ($10M)Ben Sheets ($10.1M)Johan Santana ($16.9M)Pedro Martinez ($11.8M)Andy Pettitte ($16M)Mike Mussina ($11M)Carl Pavano ($11M)Matt Morris ($10M)Greg Maddux ($10M) Barry Zito ($14.5M)Chris Carpenter ($10.5M)Vincente Padilla ($11M)Kevin Millwood ($10.3M) AJ Burnett ($13.2M)Roy Halladay ($10M)

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That leaves them with a rotation of Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Darrell Rasner, and a still-developing Joba Chamberlain, with Dan Giese expected to step into the fifth starter role.  That’s a shallow rotation, weighted at the older and younger ends like a barbell. Hurry up, C.C. Sabathia.

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OK, that title was irresistible, but in fact I'm going to say that Chien-Ming Wang's foot injury should force the Yanks hand in a trade, especially when combined with other injuries this season. Funny how little things can combine to lead to something even larger, accumulating momentum gradually until it becomes irresistible, as it has with the murmurs about a trade for C.C. Sabathia, which is really more the point of this blog.

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e back to normal tonight for the Yankees as they didn't have to deal with the media circus.

 Mike Mussina took the ball looking to get the Yankees back on track by ending their three-game losing streak.  He did so, pitching six effective innings and earning the win.  The win was number nine for Mussina, which ties him for the league lead. Mussina, whose loss of velocity has been well documented this season, kept the Bluejays hitters off balanced with an array of different offspeed pitches and a fastball which sported impressive late movement.  One night after Chamberlain went 2.1 innings in his first start, the Yankees were in need of a good start to give the bullpen a bit of a breather and Mussina provided that.

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Mussina is on the hill today for the Yanks and, while I admire him and think he's a very good pitcher and a modest, intelligent, generally good fellow, I wonder about his Hall of Fame credentials. Dave Niehaus, the mellow-toned broadcaster, has repeatedly called him a shoo-in or a lock for the Hall during the game today, and it's made me wonder. To me, a player in the HOF represents someone who was genuinely and consistently feared (on the field, not off) during his career, the kind of pitcher that batters hated to face (and vice versa). And not for one year, but for several; you can be Sandy Koufax and be unhittable for four or five seasons (and merely outstanding for a handful more) or Nolan Ryan and be unhittable for twenty years.

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when they are pitching well, just so that they can be stretched over the course of the season.

If Mike Mussina cannot return to some semblance of his former self, the Yankees will be desperately in need of other pitchers who can provide quality innings. Kei Igawa, who notoriously bombed last season, could be counted on for multiple inning appearances out of the bullpen, as well as frequent spot starts. While Chamberlain is a force at the back end of the bullpen, they will still need other late inning relievers, especially if the starters aren’t making it through seven innings. At least for this season, the Yankees will be sorry they didn’t get Santana and expect them to be major players for pitching at the trade deadline this season.

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g Joba in the rotation gives you a much better rotation and you don’t have to rely so much on Mike Mussina (who knows what he has left) and Ian Kennedy (who scouts only project to be a number three starter down the road).  Using Joba as a starter gives you a nasty 1-2-3 punch of Wang-Pettitte-Chamberlain.  It also puts him back to the position he is most used too, starting games.  In the rotation you would get around 150 innings from Joba instead of just 60 or 70 if you use him out of the bullpen.  Isn’t it better to have your best pitchers throw as many innings as possible?  The other argument is that without a quality start there may be no need for the bullpen because you may be losing.  Isn’t the bullpen irrelevant if the starter can’t pitch well enough to have a lead in the 5th or 6th inning? As of now the Yankees rotation looks to be very inconsistent and adding Joba too the mix would definitely make them better.  I understand a good bullpen is key to a team but how many teams have found lightening in a bottle over the past five years and lucked into a great set-up man.  Remember, Hideki Okajima was brought over more to help Dice-K’s move to America and he ended being one of the best set-up men in the game.  Also, if the bullpen isn’t working through half of the year, the Yankees have great arms in the minors that they could convert into relievers, much like they did with Joba last season.  Humberto Sanchez anyone?

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