Written by Greg Fertel
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23 August 2007
Every offseason, it's the same story. The Yankees look far and wide on the free agent market for the next solution to their bullpen woes, and subsequently, watch them flop. The free agent class after this season is pitifully weak overall, but even worse for bullpen options. The Yankees could, and probably will, try to find some kind of external solution to the bullpen, but they do have a multitude of options in the high minors. The Yankees will likely carry over Mariano Rivera and Kyle Farnsworth next season. The rest of the spots are up in the air. For now, I'll limit this to our group of righty arms.
Right Handed Relief:
Joba Chamberlain - The Yankees say that their plan is to convert him back to a starter, and I hope that they do, but Joba's success this season will be hard for them to ignore. Chamberlain has showed us what happens when you take a really good starter (like say, Jon Papelbon) and convert him to the bullpen. The bullpen role is a fundamentally easier role than starting - bad starters often find homes as good relievers. However, Brian Cashman is smart enough to understand that 200 innings of Joba will help the Yankees more than 75 lights-out innings. Of course, that's what the Red Sox said about Papelbon before this season.
Verdict: Probably not.
Edwar Ramirez - Joba's buddy in the bullpen has had quite a ride. At the begining of this year, we were all scratching our heads at the gaudy strikeout numbers from a guy who came completely from off the radar. Despite the high ERA, he's shown that he belongs in the bigs, and he's there to stay. I expect Ramirez to be a major weapon for the Yankees out of the bullpen next year.
Verdict: Absolutely.
Chris Britton - How he got in Torre's doghouse, I don't know. Britton already has a successful rookie season under his belt, and has done nothing but pitch fantastic in the minors and majorsthis year, but he seems to have barely been considered for a spot this year. I can't see Cashman letting Torre (or Mattingly, or Girardi) make that mistake again next year.
Verdict: He'll be in there, right out of spring training.
Ross Ohlendorf - Ohlendorf used to throw over 95 mph, but the Diamondbacks slowed him down in order to make him a more effective sinkerball starting pitcher. That fell through, and the Yankees decided that the only way he would make the bigs was with that velocity back out of the bullpen. He's been throwing a much straighter fastball around 97 mph, but still hasn't had a lot of success.
Verdict: Maybe mid-season.
T.J. Beam - Beam, the forgotton reliever, is back to his old self after almost losing the season to injury. It's easy to forget how effective Beam's power/control/slider skillset was over the past two years. He might find his way to the Bronx when rosters expand, and could warrant a few looks in spring training. Still, the number crunch will send him back to AAA to begin the season.
Verdict: Next year will be his last option year, so you can expect him to spend the season on the shuttle back and forth from Scranton.
Steve White - I've been saying for awhile now that White would be a very good reliever, but the Yankees are keeping him starting. He's been good for Scranton thus far, so I can't see him switching quickly to the bullpen. Whitey has paid his dues, and he'll be on the short list for a call up next year when the Yankees need a starting pitcher.
Verdict: Probably not, but keep your eye on him.
Brian Bruney - Bruney was sent down when the Yankees discovered what the Diamondbacks knew all along: he pitches as if he was paid by the walk. Due to past success, he'll get a few looks during spring training, but I think that the Yankees will try to trade him while they can. I advocated trading him prior to last year, but the Yankees may shy away from doing so this year if he can't bring in a good price. Bruney is out of options next year.
Verdict: Unfortunately, probably yes.
Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner - The long man duo were supposed to pitch a lot of average innings for the Yankees this year, but injuries rocked them both, leading to lost seasons. Karstens has definitely taken a step back, and who knows what will happen will Rasner. I wouldn't expect to see of them next year.
Verdict: Karstens will probably stay on the 40-man roster, but Rasner won't be anywhere to be seen.
Kevin Whelan - Whelan's control escaped him for most of the season, and the Yankee pitching brass had to bring him down to Tampa for a mechanical fix. He pitched much better, and earned a promotion back to AA. His first appearance was terrible; Whelan allowed 5 runs and 6 walks. Since then, he's pitched 15 innings with a 1.2 ERA, striking out 21 and walking just 6 batters. For the first time in his life, Kevin Whelan looks like a pitcher, not a converted catcher.
Verdict: He'll start the season at AA, but don't be surprised to see him dominating MLB batters by mid-June.
Alan Horne - Joba Chamberlain will likely be deemed to valuable as a starting pitcher, but I have a feeling that the Yankees will feel good enough about the Joba experiment to try for something more permanent with Horne. He's got all the tools to be a great relief pitcher, and with Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain ahead of him, this may be the logical move. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Yankees bring up Horne when rosters expand this year.
Verdict: Nothing is certain, but it would be a smart move.
Scott Patterson - We all know the story by now. The Yankees find an independent league gem, place him in AA, and he dominates. In 106 1/3 innings between 2006 and 2007, Patterson has struck out 128 and walked 22, while maintaining an ERA of 1.45. Patterson has been absolutely untouchable, yet the Yankees have declined to promote him. He'll start 2007 in AAA, and won't be able to hold off a callup much longer. Patterson doesn't throw hard, but that kind of success doesn't come by accident.
Verdict: He'll have to prove himself all over again, but he's capable of it.
Michael Gardner - He's the sleeper in the organization's upper minors. Gardner has long gotten more credit from the Yankees than he gets from fans, but he's starting to get close to the majors. He's sat consisently around 92 mph this season with his sinking fastball, up a tick from previous years. His slider has come along, and the numbers show it. In 75 innings, Gardner has maintained a 2.88 ERA, striking out 62 and walking 26, while allowing just one home run.
Verdict: He's a sleeper.
There's something for you guys to chew on. The Yankees have options, but it's up to them to use them. How many of these guys will flop if they hit the majors? At least half. Even so, the Yankee stockpile of arms should be able to produce a better product than we are seeing now.
