Friday, May 8, 2015

My Plan for the Return of Chris Capuano


Yesterday afternoon I asked on Twitter what our followers thought the team should do when Chris Capuano comes off the disabled list and presumably returns to the starting rotation in the Bronx. Should the team move Capuano to the bullpen and essentially have two long men? Should the team send Chase Whitley down to Scranton to stay stretched out as a starter? Should the team send Adam Warren back to the bullpen essentially erasing David Carpenter from manager Joe Girardi’s binder? Should Warren stay in the rotation? Well you guys and girls had your say yesterday and now it’s my turn as I reveal my plan for the return of Chris Capuano.

The most logical thing to do honestly is to send Chris Capuano packing in a salary dump to a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Mets. While the team does not have a plethora of starting pitching options the team does have Whitley, Bryan Mitchell, Luis Severino within striking distance of the major leagues and enough journeymen starting pitchers and reclamation projects out there to survive until June or July and the trading deadline. Realistically speaking the team will more than likely once again send a superior player in Whitley down on the farm and keep Capuano for insurance purposes and for a possible upgrade over Warren. Warren would take his spot back in the 7th inning of the bullpen while Carpenter would likely be traded or designated for assignment. The team could always stash Chasen Shreve down in Scranton along with Whitley but that leaves essentially just one left handed reliever, I don’t count Andrew Miller since he isn’t used in lefty reliever type situations, in the pen.

I agree with sending Whitley down to AAA if he isn’t going to keep a roster spot because he needs to be stretched out and gives New York much more value as a starter then he does as a relief pitcher. Also I believe that despite him pitching well this season Warren is better suited out of the bullpen. Warren struggled late in 2014 due to overuse but coming into the season preparing to be a starting pitcher and getting stretched out for a possible 100 pitches every 5th day would prepare Warren for the long haul and for the grind that is September and possibly October. Capuano, while I personally do not like him and what he brings to the team, makes a lot of sense as the Yankees 5th starter providing innings and keeping the team close enough to win every time out.


Whether my plan comes to fruition or not remains to be seen but having too many suitable and good pitchers and not enough places to pitch them all has never been a problem in the past and will continue to be a good kind of problem to have going forward. 

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