2012 MLB Free Agency: 10 Pitchers Yankees Should Target Instead of CJ Wilson

Halloween is a great holiday—from the costumes to the candy to the marathons of really bad horror movies in the days leading up to it.

I mean you really haven't lived until you've watched Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood, the sixth film in the series.

Warwick Davis, the actor who starred in Willow, plays the part of the killer leprechaun.

CJ Wilson has played the part of "ace" on the Texas Rangers for the past two seasons.

Just as Warwick Davis isn't really a killer leprechaun, CJ Wilson isn't really an ace pitcher.

But he is going to sign for ace money, and that's a trick that the Yankees need to avoid at all costs.

While the pitching available in free agency on the surface, appears to be equal to coming home after hours of trick or treating with a bag of nothing but small boxes of raisins, there are some quality arms available.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman could dip into his own bag of tricks and acquire a starter via trade as well.

With one eye towards the pitching bonanza that is expected to be available as free agents following the 2012 season and the other on the continued development of prospects Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances who are both expected to be ready to join the Yankees in 2013, let's see what pitchers could bridge the gap.

CC Sabathia

Even though the Yankees have reached out to Camp CC with a re-negotiated deal, the Yankees ace is still expected to test the free agent market.

Sabathia and his family love New York and have maintained all along that they prefer to stay where they are. The Yankees have made it no secret that they want Sabathia back.

Under the right circumstances—Sabathia demanding a seven-year contract, for example—the Yankees could let their ace walk away.

But Sabathia and the Yankees will most likely come to an agreement that keeps the big man in the Bronx for quite awhile.

Carlos Zambrano

Why not?

I broached the idea in the middle of August and Yankee fans were split on whether or not a swap of AJ Burnett and cash to the Chicago Cubs for Carlos Zambrano was a good idea.

Under Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild's tutelage, Zambrano's average season was 15-10 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 180 strikeouts over 210 innings.

Even with the Cubs being under new management, one would think that Zambrano has burnt the bridge leading back to Wrigley Field.

Zambrano turns 31 next year and is owed $18 million. His 2012 option will not vest unless he finishes in the top four in the Cy Young award voting and is healthy at the end of the season.

What the Cubs will be looking for in return is the question, one that the Yankees should try and get answered.

Mark Buehrle

I have done a terrible job hiding my desire to see Mark Buehrle join the Yankees rotation.

All Buehrle has done over the past eleven seasons is throw more then 200 innings a season while providing a consistent effort night in and night out.

Nobody knows if Buehrle will consider leaving Chicago, having been with the White Sox since he was 21 years old. 

A three year contract for $15 million a year is likely in the ballpark of what he will eventually receive and would be a worthwhile investment on the part of the Yankees.

Buehrle would bring stability to the front-end of the Yankees rotation and give the club another inning-eating machine.

Ricky Nolasco

Rumors involving the Marlins' 28-year-old righty and the Yankees were something that we looked at last week.

Nolasco is still young and talented enough that the two years and roughly $20 million that are owed to him are reasonable enough to gamble on.

The Yankees obviously see something in Nolasco that they like and with the Marlins potentially looking to dump his salary, the possibility increases that the Yankees could put together an attractive offer that would not dramatically alter their major league roster.

Edwin Jackson

Now looking for his seventh team in seven years, 28-year-old righty Edwin Jackson is one of the younger starting pitchers available as a free agent.

While he has had success in both leagues, Jackson has largely been inconsistent and baffling to pitching coaches around the league. His fastball sits around 95 mph and he has averaged over 200 innings a year over the past three seasons, yet Jackson remains hittable with a career WHIP of 1.48.

Jackson is represented by Scott Boras, so while a short-term deal would be ideal, Boras may hold out for a multi-year deal from someone who misses out on some of the other pitchers available.

Boras and the Yankees will likely discuss Jackson as they talk about some of his other clients, but how fruitful those conversations would be is anyone's guess.

Yu Darvish

Someone else we have looked at previously, Yu Darvish would be the most expensive player on the list to acquire not named Sabathia.

But the 25-year-old could be worth it. As I have previously stated, sooner or later there will be a Japanese pitcher who makes the transition from Japan to the majors seamlessly and goes onto have an Ichiro-type career.

Why couldn't it be him?

The posting fee will likely be expensive, but less than the $51 million that the Boston Red Sox paid to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka due to other MLB teams being hesitant to spend that much money after Dice-K's struggles with Boston.

Darvish's numbers in Japan are far superior to those of any other Japanese import to date. Just comparing the season in which they turned 24-years-old:

Irabu: 8-7, 3.10 ERA, 142.1 IP, 160 K.

Igawa: 14-11, 3.73 ERA, 201 IP, 203 K.

Dice-K: 14-13, 2.30 ERA, 215 IP, 226 K

Darvish: 18-6, 1.44 ERA, 232 IP, 276 K

For his career, Darvish has a 1.99 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.

Darvish will be costly and require a multi-year contract, but he is certainly young enough where the years should not be an issue.

If he falters, unlike virtually any other team in the league, the Yankees have the ability to absorb the hit and keep on going. See Igawa, Kei.

Roy Oswalt

While the "Wizard of Oz" is coming off a season in which he twice spent time on the DL with a lower back injury, Roy Oswalt is still a viable major league pitcher.

The Philadelphia Phillies bought out the final year of his contract rather then pick up the $16 million option.

Unlikely to garner more then a two-year offer from teams, the 34-year-old Oswalt has been one of the better pitchers in all of baseball over the past decade.

While he is not getting any younger, Oswalt is a seasoned pro and would be a nice fit in the Yankees rotation, keeping a spot warm for Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos, the Yankees' two heralded pitching prospects who are expected to be ready to join the big club in 2013.

Freddy Garcia

Freddy Garcia was solid for the Yankees in 2011, and unlike Bartolo Colon, the other veteran that exceeded the Yankees' expectations, Garcia did not fade down the stretch.

Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office like Garcia, so bringing him back on a one-year deal to be the No. 4 or No. 5 starter in the rotation is likely.

A one year deal for $5 million could find Garcia back in the Bronx.

Derek Lowe

Derek Lowe had a downright miserable season for the Atlanta Braves in 2011, going 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.

But the right-hander still managed to log over 180 innings and entering the final year of his contract, the Braves could look to move him to free up cash and make room for one of their pitching prospects such as Julio Teheran.

Lowe has had success in the American League before with the Boston Red Sox, and he would obviously come with a much lower required commitment than Wilson.

Whether or not he can still be an effective major league pitcher remains to be seen, but considering that the cost to acquire him would likely be negligible were the Yankees to pick up the majority of the $18 million owed to him this season, he could be a veteran arm worth taking a shot on.

Javier Vazquez

It's Halloween—there has to be at least one scary monster included.

In no way, shape or form do I think Vazquez should or will be considered.

He's simply included for "shock value."

Happy Halloween.