Back during the summer of 2014 the New York Yankees let
left-handed reliever Matt Thornton go to the Washington Nationals in a straight
waiver claim with the promise that the Yankees young talent would begin to
funnel into the bullpen out of the minor leagues. One Josh Outman and one Rich
Hill signing later and the Yankees had their replacements, neither of which
were Yankees prospects mind you, although both were ultimately designated for
assignment before the 2015 season. Outman has not had any significant time back
in the Major Leagues since then but Hill reinvented himself as a starting
pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and enjoyed a rejuvenated second half with the
ball club. Hill is set to hit free agency this season, wouldn’t he be the
perfect candidate to be in 2016 what Chris Capuano was supposed to be in 2015?
Hill will be 36-years old when the 2016 season begins, the
same age as Capuano, but the similarities don’t stop there. Both reinvented and
rejuvenated their careers with other teams before catching the Yankees eyes and
both can easily bounce back and forth between the bullpen and the starting
rotation. Both are left-handed and would serve as more than suitable long
relief roles with the club. The biggest glaring difference is that if a Yankees
starter goes down and Hill pitches like he did for the Red Sox this season he
could make an immediate impact for the Yankees in the rotation. Capuano, on the
other hand, merely gave the Yankees some innings and tried his best to keep the
team in those games before burning out the bullpen. Hill could quietly be a
difference maker for the team in 2016.
With the Yankees roster seemingly set and the majority of
the money allocated towards 2016 already spent New York is going to have to get
creative, get depth and get lucky if they want to compete for a World Series
championship next season. It will be players like Hill, the bench roles that
can play multiple positions and bring versatility and the minor league deals
and the one-year deals that catch lightning in a bottle that is going to
separate New York from the other teams in the American League East Division.
Does that start with Hill? If it doesn’t then it probably should.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)