Wednesday, June 3, 2015

My Plan to Insert Masahiro Tanaka & Fix the Pen Simultaneously


UPDATE: This was posted before Joe Girardi announced Capuano was going to the bullpen. Let's see if the rest of the prediction comes in true.

Masahiro Tanaka comes off the bullpen this afternoon to face off against Taijuan Walker and the Seattle Mariners after spending the better part of a month on the disabled list with some wrist tendinitis and a mild forearm strain. With the activation off the disabled list pending the Yankees will have to make a few roster decisions before this afternoon’s game including how the team will clear the 25 man roster spot and also who Tanaka will bump from the starting rotation. The Yankees probably have a plan and there is a 50-50 shot that this plan will blow up in their face entirely but just in case there was any indecision left by the club I, as usual, have a plan as well. For that plan you will have to keep on reading…

Now before I get too involved in this plan I will warn you that this will not be a popular plan among Yankees fans and I will lose anywhere from 10-50 followers on Twitter (@GreedyStripes my shameless plug) because of it but I think it works best for THIS team and how this team is currently situated. It’s probably not what I would necessarily do by any means but I think it is more so what should happen for at least a small band aid on this team’s current situation.

When the Yankees activate Tanaka off the disabled list they need to designate Chris Capuano to the bullpen as the long man and leave Adam Warren in the starting rotation for now. The team would then, unfortunately and as much as it pains me to say it, send down Jacob Lindgren to the minor leagues to get some more regular work since it seems obvious that Joe Girardi is not going to use him consistently and you would then move Esmil Rogers into the right handed relief pitcher role that David Carpenter currently employs. Rogers is not great by any means but he is better than Carpenter giving you an immediate upgrade while also getting an upgrade in the rotation with Tanaka over Capuano. Warren stays in the rotation until Ivan Nova is deemed ready to pitch after recovering from Tommy John surgery and everyone but Lindgren, and myself, are happy.


The team could always, and honestly should, designate Carpenter for assignment and subsequently stash him in Triple-A if he goes unclaimed, and he would, or the team could always DFA Capuano but neither of those scenarios seem likely. Losing Capuano now is not a huge deal as there will be a million of him, statistically speaking, on the free agent market and trade market in the very, very immediate future while Carpenter could be replaced right now by Chris Martin in the bullpen. The Yankees have lots of options here it’s just whether they make the right decision or the wrong decision, and for that we must all stay tuned. 

8 comments:

  1. So Daniel, what is your problem for telling it as it should be...in your opinion?
    I find nothing wrong with your moves at all, as most of your Twitter followers will probably go for it because they are Yankee Fans and the best/smartest fans are...Yankee Fans.

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    1. You know how people can be. First time Lindgren gives up a run he's garbage, send him down. First time Aaron Judge strikes out he's not ready send him down. Nobody cares about the sample size.

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  2. One thing I would think about is and this may sound crazy (so what's new) I would move CC to the BP and leave Warren in the rotation when Nova comes back.
    Reason is, CC having to pitch one or two innings at a time can throw as hard as he wants and get his fastball up to 91-93 which makes him an asset, not a liability. It changes his whole approach to the game and will give the team a guy that knows what pitching is all about.

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    1. CC would be the most overpaid relief pitcher ever but the stats do not lie. If he started out an inning or pitched in long relief he would be better. That or pitch him about 5 IP and get him the hell out of there.

      Honestly 5 IP (not facing them three and four times through the order) would be better than having him in the pen in my opinion.

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  3. Burch I agree with all your moves except the Nova move. I have never been high on Nova throughout his career even when he won 16 games or so a few years back, he couldn't replicate it the year after and to me Warren is the second best starter we have. Let Nova get his feet wet as a long man and cut Capuano and Carpenter and bring up another kid

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    1. I KNOW you don't like my replies to you and your rudeness (as to Robert). but because of that I get a lot of laughs out of you and your arrogance. I still like having you around, as a Devils Advocate you are great!
      If one brings up a kid to replace Nova, who has a track record, what do we get instead? We get a kid that we have no idea how well he will do with the big boys. he may be lights out and then again, he may wet his pants. Should we not try Nova, he has been stretched out as a starter, putting him back in the BP wouldn't make any sense let's see how well he will do first? As for CC, I suggested putting him in the BP leaving Warren in the rotation.

      Just my opinion Ken H, not fact!
      Have a great day Ken H, one can get their point across without being Rude to a new commenter!

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    2. To each their own Hans. I like Nova. He's not an ace and wouldn't be relied upon as one in New York. Phil Hughes was not able to replicate his 18 win season for a few seasons after that. Aces replicate seasons like that, you're run of the mill middle of the rotation starter does not consistently.

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    3. Remember Burch he is just coming off TJ surgery and most of the time it takes a year to get back to where you were, and for where he was before he injured himself he wasn't very good. Everyone cries about adding youth here and when I suggest it by adding a young arm I hear smack. Not surprised at all!! As far as Hughes goes he crapped his pants in NY for most of his career. He was the human gopher ball

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)