Mariano Rivera Injury: 6 Reasons the Yankees Can Overcome Losing Him

Wow.

That's really all I've been able to say since hearing that Mariano Rivera was carted off the field during batting practice tonight, having hurt his knee while shagging fly balls.

No baseball fan wants to see the greatest closer who's ever lived end his career this way, but if he tore his ACL, Mariano might have thrown his last pitch.

Losing the best closer in history is a huge loss, both in terms of on-field production and the confidence Rivera gives his teammates, who know that all they need to do is have a lead after eight innings to virtually guarantee victory on any given night.

But, now that I've had some time to process the news, here are six reasons Yankee fans shouldn't panic, because the Yankees can overcome losing Mo.

The Yankees' Offense Is Solid

The Yankees' strength is its offense, there's no doubt about that.

And, other than his 2009 bases-loaded walk against Francisco Rodriguez and the Mets, Mariano Rivera has never been a part of the offense and it will not be affected by his absence.

Despite their early struggles, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira will all hit, and the Yanks will be one of the top two or three offensive teams in the league.

That minimizes the number of save situations the team will have in a year and makes it possible for the team to still win even if the bullpen blows a couple of leads.

The Yankees will score runs, and a good offense can mask weaknesses in a pitching staff (see: 2011 Yankees).

Other Bullpens in the American League Aren't Great

When you think of the powers in the American League, most have trouble in the bullpen.

The Red Sox's problems are well-known (remember the 9-0 comeback?), having lost Andrew Bailey for most of the season with thumb surgery and having sent down their eight inning man (Mark Melancon) to Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Rays always seem to get production out of its bullpen, but they've lost Kyle Farnsworth to injury and key set-up men Burke Badenhop and Joel Peralta have struggled early in the season.

Outside of Jose Valverde, the Tigers' bullpen is nothing special, and the Angels have already made a closing change, taking Jordan Walden out of the role in favor of Scott Downs.

The Rangers are solid, but I would still argue that the Yankees have the best bullpen of any other American League contender even without Mariano Rivera.

The Yankees Still Have a Good Bullpen!

Even with every other pitcher taking a step up the totem pole in the Yankee bullpen, it's still a solid unit.

I'll talk more about Dave Robertson later, but he's a quality option to close.

Rafael Soriano has been a quality closer, and perhaps he'll fare better in more high-pressure situations in the eight inning than in the seven inning.

Corey Wade's been reliable since putting on pinstripes and can help in the sixth and seven innings.

The lefties are unchanged, and perhaps Phil Hughes or David Phelps can join the bullpen rotation once Andy Pettitte joins the club.

Plus, David Aardsma is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could enter the mix later this season. You never know what you'll get from guys coming off that procedure, but he closed 69 games in 2010 and 2011 for Seattle before injury his elbow.

David Robertson Is Solid

There's no replacement for Mariano Rivera, but David Robertson is an excellent pitcher.

Since last season, he has 118 strikeouts in just 77.2 innings and has allowed only 47 hits. That's phenomenal.

He's dealt with the pressure of New York with flying colors, and he's shown an ability to handle tough situations (such as getting out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the 2009 Division Series against the Twins). I'm not worried about him having difficulty with the pressure of filling Mariano Rivera's shoes. He's his own man.

Plus, for the last year he's been touted as the heir to Mariano, so one would think Robertson has thought about this possibility and has mentally prepared himself for the adjustment.

At the end of the day, the difference between an eighth inning man and a closer is just the name of the inning and nothing else. Sometimes when Robertson pitched the eight and Mariano pitched the ninth, Robertson would face tougher hitters.

True, the closer is in charge of ending the game, but I think the effect of that is overrated and Robertson will be fantastic in his new role.

A Trade Is Still an Option

If this was going to happen, at least Mariano got hurt before the trade deadline. If Mo got hurt on August 1, the Yankees would not be able to fill any holes created by his absence through trades.

Since it's still early May, the Yankees have just under three months to determine what their needs are before the July 31 deadline. Should Robertson, Soriano and others not do an adequate job in their new roles, the Yanks have plenty of depth in the farm system to pull of a trade. And, there are probably going to be several relievers available.

Grant Balfour could probably already be had from Oakland, and Brett Myers should be put on the block by Houston.

Brandon League from Seattle is another name to watch for, as are Frank Francisco from the Mets, Huston Street from the Padres, and Matt Capps from the Twins, to name a few.

At least this injury happened early on, at a time when the Yankees will have time to evaluate who, if anyone, to pursue via trade.

The Yankees Only Need to Fill About 50 Innings

Mariano Rivera's the best closer in the game, and he has been for over a decade.

But at the end of the day, even if he misses the entire rest of the season, that's only about 50 innings he would have thrown that the Yankees need to replace.

He hasn't thrown more than 66.1 innings in the last three seasons, and we're already about one-sixth of the way through the season.

If he wasn't injured, his remaining 50 or so innings would likely have been dominant, but at the end of the day, it's still only 50 innings, as opposed to the approximately 160 innings the Yanks would have to fill if they lost a starter like CC Sabathia.

Losing Mariano Rivera is a huge loss for the Yankees, both on and off the field. But the Yankees are a good enough team that they can overcome this dark day in Yankee history and have success in 2012.

Their offense can overcome most deficits, the bullpen is still solid, David Robertson is a solid replacement (and if he's not, a trade can be made), and it's only about 50 innings that have to be filled.

Let's all take a deep breath, Yankee fans, and mourn the loss of Mariano Rivera, the pitcher, without mourning the loss of the team's season.