As always, plenty of clubs need starting pitching. As long as everyone is healthy, the Yankees may have a mild surplus once Phil Hughes and/or Tyler Clippard are ready. Whether Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina can post healthy seasons is unknown, but at this moment everyone is fine. Another open question is whether Kei Igawa can act as a credible fourth starter.
Even oft-injured Carl Pavano is feeling good; he did a decent job against the Red Sox yesterday. It has been speculated for months that the Yankees want to trade the 31 year-old, perhaps this spring.
However, Peter Abraham of the Journal News says Brian Cashman has maintained since winter that he will not trade Pavano. Abraham quotes Cashman as saying he’s not in the business of selling low. The Yanks would prefer not to pick up $10-11MM of the $21MM owed to Pavano over the next two years. If they wait and he and the rest of the Yankee staff has a healthy, effective April, perhaps trade talks will be revisited. Otherwise the Yankees might wait to see what happens with Roger Clemens.
One thing’s for sure – the Yanks won’t finish the season with a Mussina-Pettitte-Wang-Igawa-Pavano rotation.
