Yankees GM Brian Cashman Is Not Insane, but Neither Was Albert Einstein

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, which brings us to New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman.

A New York tabloid reported that Cashman hasn’t ruled out Bartolo Colon returning to the Yankees, possibly in the bullpen.

CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia have been projected by both Cashman and Joe Girardi as composing the Yankees starting rotation. Does it seem a little familiar?

Because the Yankees had a powerful offense last year, they won the division title without too much trouble. The problem is that after Sabathia, the Yankees didn’t and still don’t have the kind of starters that a world champion needs.

Against the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, the pitching seemed adequate, giving up 36 hits innings in 44 innings with an excellent 3.27 ERA when compared to a 3.73 regular season ERA.

Therein lies the problem.

The Yankees hitters rarely hit with the game on the line.

Tigers pitchers allowed the Yankees 45 hits in 44 innings and had an obscene 5.73 ERA. The statistics lie.

The Yankees won games 9-3 and 10-1, which skewed the Tigers’ ERA.

Don’t conclude that the pitching was adequate, but rather that the lack of timely hitting cost the series. Just look at the world champion St. Louis Cardinals.

In the NLDS, when Roy Halladay held the Cardinals to one run, Chris Carpenter pitched a shutout.

In the NLCS, the Cardinals scored four runs in the first inning of Game 3 and made it stand up for a 4-3 win.

C.J. Wilson allowed the Cardinals only three runs in the World Series opener. It was enough for Carpenter.

It doesn’t matter whether Sabathia is better than Carpenter or not. Both are aces who can hold their own with any other starter.

The difference is that the other Cardinals starters pitched well enough to get Carpenter into the position to win the key games.

The Yankees starters after Sabathia didn’t do that. Cashman realizes that the chances are they won’t be able to do it in 2012. He is hoping, as is Girardi, that Hector Noesi will make the difference.

Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are right in not trading the Yankees youth for veterans who have seen better days, but it is ridiculous for the Yankees to think that another try with the same cast will produce a different outcome.