MLB Trade Talk: Why Jair Jurrjens Is Perfect Deal for New York Yankees

With the New York Yankees having pieced together their rotation in 2011, it's a certainty that they will be looking for more stable answers from their starting pitching.

One of the names that have popped up in all the speculation is Jair Jurrjens, the Atlanta Braves upstart young pitcher who impressed many around the league with great numbers last season.

Due a raise and with some injury concerns, Jurrjens is being shopped by Atlanta this offseason in hopes they can bring back some prospects and other talent in return.

No surprise the Yankees will be involved in trying to land Jurrjens, a 25-year-old with a ton of upside.

Here's why the Yanks should definitely make that deal.

Yanks Need Rotation Depth

Last year, the Yankees starting pitching revolved around CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and three or four other guys no Yankee fan really trusted.

Tough to imagine for a team with a $220 million payroll, but the Yanks had a difficult time filling out their rotation due to injury or ineptitude. They may have gotten away with it last season, but that can't be expected to happen every year.

The Yankees need rotation depth badly and will look to add that this offseason whether by trade or free agency.

Jurrjens would immediately impact the Yankees, giving them a strong third starter behind Sabathia and Nova.

With a healthy Jurrjens, the Yanks would have one of the best 1-2-3 starter combos in baseball. That is of course dependant upon the youngsters, Nova and Jurrjens, continuing to develop from where they left off last year.

Long-Term Solution

The most attractive thing about Jurrjens is his age. The Braves right-hander is only 25 years old.

He can help anchor the Yankees rotation for many years to come along with Ivan Nova who is only a year younger. These two guys could set the Bombers up with starting rotation consistency for many years to come.

When the era of Sabathia comes to an end, the Yanks won't have to sweat it either. They will have their two young studs as experienced veterans to take over for him.

Jurrjens will be 31 when Sabathia's contract is over, and that is an interesting prospect for the Yanks future if he pans out.

Ton of Upside

Like I mentioned in the slide before, Jurrjens is still very young. Based on his numbers from last season and in his short career, the skies the limit for the young righty.

Last season, Jurrjens post a 13-6 record with an impressive 2.94 ERA in a tough division.

Look at his career numbers and you can tell this guy has talent. He's 50-33, with a 3.40 era. Those numbers would have been better if not for a lackluster 2010 season which he bounced back from last year.

Jurrjens win total would certainly go up being with the Yankees as more run support would certainly notch more in the "W" column for him.

With a little more experience and knowledge of pitching, one can only imagine how much better Jurrjens can get.

A Cheaper Alternative

It's being speculated that one of the major reasons Jurrjens is being shopped by the Braves is the $2 million raise he will be receiving in 2012.

Jurrjens stands to make a little over $5 million next season. I think the Yankees pay their bat-boy that much.

Anyway, its clearly a cheaper alternative to the free-agent market where the Yanks can expect to spend upwards of $15 million to $20 million on a starter, depending on who it is of course. And that doesn't even include the amount of years they will have to commit to that starter.

Not that the Yankees are always looking to save money, but this one makes sense financially. Jurrjens will be up for arbitration in 2013 and then will be a free agent in 2014.

That means the Yankees can get him for relatively cheap as far as price of his salary is concerned. If it doesn't work out, the Bombers won't be stuck with Jurrjens for a long time and can let him go after 2013.

In this case, I think the risk is certainly worth the reward.

Buyer Beware?

There are some things about Jurrjens that you need to know before you go and debate your friends about why the Yanks should bring him in.

First off, the past two seasons for Jurrjens have seen him battling injuries, something the Yankees were no strangers to in their rotation last season.

In 2010, Jurrjens only made 20 starts for Atlanta. Jurrjens missed all of September for the Braves in 2011, helping to hurt their chances down the stretch. He made 23 starts in total, a number that will need to come up if he wants to be a major factor on the Yankees.

Two other things of note with Jurrjens is his declining strikeouts and increasing walks.

Last season, Jurrjens K/9 fell a full point while his BB/9 has slightly increased each year he's been in the league. Neither are catastrophic, but something to pay attention to nonetheless.

Jurrjens has also never pitched a playoff game in his young career. That type of experience is invaluable if you want to make it with the Yankees. There's no telling how the young starter will respond in a playoff game which is a scary prospect for Yankee fans.

Conclusion

The Yankees need to be careful with a possible Jurrjens trade a few reasons.

First off, they don't want to stick themselves with a starter who will miss 10 to 15 starts next season. They don't want to have to be piecing together their rotation like they did in 2011.

The Braves may be just dangling the young starter out there to see if they can rip off some team for a ton of prospects. The Yankees need to be wary not to mortgage their entire future on Jurrjens. You save those types of deals for a more proven starter.

Still, if the deal is right, I feel the Yankees should certainly take a chance on Jurrjens. He is cheap salary speaking and won't handcuff the Bombers for several years if he turns out to be a bust.

He is a very young starter as well which means he could make a long-term impact in the Bronx if he continues to develop like many think he can.

If the Yanks make this deal, they shouldn't stop there. You can never have enough pitching, and when you bring in a young, inexperienced guy like Jurrjens, there's never a guarantee it works.

The starting pitching search only begins with Jurrjens. By no means would it be over if they can land him. But his small salary ensures the Yanks can keep looking for more starting rotation help if they see fit.