Ben Sheets or Andy Pettitte As Plan B?

(Zell's Pinstripe Blog)

I was reading this from the Yankees' Official Web site, and I was thinking about it myself. What if the Yankees can’t land CC, Burnett, or Lowe? The chances aren’t very good that they don’t get any of the three, but you never know...and it is fun to think about.

What would they do? The Yankee faithful would definitely go nuts over it. Bring back Pettitte...okay, but that’s not enough. Bring in Sheets as well?

That could be a rotation like: Wang-Chamberlain-Sheets-Pettitte-Hughes

Not bad really, but when you heard all the Yankees crazy plans, this would kind of seem like a disappointment. People think that the team needs to be totally revamped, and that the whole rotation is garbage, which is totally untrue.

You have Wang (who is an ace), and Joba (potential ace)...who pitched like a No. 1 in the 12 starts he made last season. Then you have Sheets, who is pretty much an ace when healthy.

That is a big question, though. You can ask that same question about Burnett also. Then you have Andy Pettitte. I wanted him to come back from the get go. Everyone started bashing Andy because he was bad down the postseason stretch, and Mussina was shining all season long.

Everyone hopped on the Moose bandwagon and put Pettitte in the garbage. He had a bad year. Give him a break. Look at it this way. Mussina wouldn’t duplicate that season if he played in ‘09. On the other hand...I don’t think Andy could be any worse than he was last year. He will only be better in 2009.

They also say that he was pitching with an injury toward the end of the season. Pettitte as a No. 4 isn’t too shabby. Many teams in MLB would love to have a pitcher like that in the No. 4 slot. Then you have Hughes to anchor the rotation and hopefully he proves himself to Yankee Universe. I would take both Pettitte & Sheets if they can’t get the other three.

If they can’t land CC, Lowe, or Burnett...the rotation will still be better in 2009. Think about it. Wang was injured last year. Pettitte wasn’t himself. Joba was in the 'pen and in the rotation. He couldn’t get into a groove.

Cashman has already stated that Joba will be a starter. Hughes wasn’t very good either. How could the rotation be any worse than last year? We had guys like Rasner & Ponson pitching for us. Haha.

Bryan Hoch answers Yankee fans questions

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What if the Yankees can’t land CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett or Derek Lowe? It seems that they all have some reason they don’t want to pitch in New York. What other options do we have?
– Jon H., Sussex, N.J.

Imagine that? Listening to a little talk radio this week, it seems like a lot of voices have been inclined to wonder if the sky is falling, just because Sabathia didn’t immediately leap at the Yankees’ offer of six years and approximately $140 million. Or worse, some have decided to take the non-response as a sign that Sabathia has no interest in playing in New York.

If you consider it from Sabathia’s viewpoint, what’s the rush in signing on the dotted line? As far as we know, he’s only heard offers from two clubs, the Yankees and Brewers. Maybe there’s a mystery team out there that will offer more than the Yankees; maybe a California team will step up and put something on the table. Hey, maybe not. But if it was you, wouldn’t you find out?

It’s no secret the Yankees want Sabathia, and if they can’t get him, they’ll probably go hard after both Burnett and Lowe. The checkbook will do the talking and, if for some reason, the Yankees can’t woo any of the three, they’ll have to fall back on other options. Andy Pettitte would need to move from the back burner to the forefront, and you’d hear a lot about considering guys like Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves for the back end of the big league rotation.

The Yankees could even go after a free agent like Ben Sheets or Oliver Perez as one of their second-tier alternatives. Needless to say, it’s a scenario the Yankees would prefer to avoid, so at some point they’ll look to lock up at least one of their top three choices. No one said the rotation needed to be set by the time the Thanksgiving turkey is carved.

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Angels could move on Sabathia if Teixeira talksbog down