On the Yankees beat

That's gotta be the second biggest asterisk in baseball, right there.

Looks like as good a starting point as any for now. We'll see how everything shakes out a month from now.

Igawa intrigues me but for some reason I have almost no expectations of him. I can't recall ever being so down on a guy I have never seen pitch, but I am so anything positive he does will be a nice surprise to me.
I like the top three, I like Moose in the 3 spot where he truly belongs and should succeed.

Jim A : maybe this will ease some of your doubts ,from 2001 on when Igawa became a starting pitcher -Igawa 83-56 Matsuzaka 78-47 Igawa 1123/SO Matsuzaka 1060/SO Igawa 1190/IP Matsuzaka 1055/IP.Igawa was 20-5 in 2003..so as you can see Igawa stacks up very well and is no slouch.

Lefties generally fare better in New York so maybe Igawa does well. I hope that he and Pavano can stay healthy all year so Hughes can spend a full year in AAA, but I see Igawa (barring an impressive season) moving to the bullpen next year.

If both Hughes and Igawa even have decent Spring Training outings, both will be in the starting rotation to start the season, and Pavano (if healthy) will be wearing another uniform. This "babying" of Hughes is needless. If the guy shows he can get Major League hitters out in Spring Training, he should be on the 25 man roster. It's one thing to closely monitor his pitch count, it's another to ship him out to Scranton just because he's only 20 and inexperienced. If he can get Major Leaguers out, he belongs in the "Bigs".

no way the yanks pay igawa and that posting fee to make him a reliever!

Mike fl: You're absolutely right ,you don't spend nearly 50 million on a pitcher and stick him in the "Pen". Mid relievers make the least amount of money outside of subs.

thanks ruse! some of these ideas on this blog make me laugh.

The ST rotation after the top 3 should be up for grabs. Igawa has the big contract and posting fee plus two lefty starters are a big bonus in the stadium. His stats are similar to Matsuzaka so he should do OK. Now, If Pavano is mediocre and Hughes is Mr. Terrific. There maybe no holding the kid back. CP maybe on his way out. If Igawa is mediocre than the Yankees can send him to the bullpen to straighten out. Pavano if he performs well could be a number 4. So, the Yankees have some room to play. Its plays out on the performances of three guys for the last two spots. The Yankees must satisfy themselves with the performances of these 3 guys before offering Pavano for trade. We'll no more in a month. And speculation will end.

i dont understand why the yanks wont take hughes north with them? as a number 5 starter he would pitch about 180 innings which is what the yanks want.i think hughes makes us even with bostons rotation.maybe the want to get pavano up and going and trade him by springs end or the trading deadline? any thoughts on this??

update on Abreu :2 weeks out of action

Mike fl : It's safe to assume if Hughes or Ohlendorf or Karstens or Sanchez have great springs 1 of them will go north w/ the club.The Yanks hold to many cards to be relying on Pavano to fill the bill...Pavanos stock will rise considerably if he has a couple of good outings.

dont get me wrong, i want to see pavano do good and stay but if hughes is the real deal then its time to turn him loose!!!

I want to see Pavano do well, so we can trade the guy. As long as we deal him to the NL,he can win the Cy Young Award for all I care. We have too many good young pitchers, to "horse" around with him. 1 injury free, Spring Training outing, and the Yanks should put out the word that Pavano is going to be gone by the time the they go North.

Mike FL: I'd have to assume that the Yanks would want Hughes for some important starts at the end of the year and wouldn't necessarily want to have to monitor his innings at that point. I think they're hoping that he can step into a front of the rotation spot come June or July so it will almost be like trading for a front line starter. They're in a great position with him and I like what they're doing so far.
Ruse: I like the numbers comparison w/ Igawa and Matsuzaka and believe me, I'm trying to like him more. I love the fact that he's another lefty starter, our rotation is very well balanced but it's hard to find anyone who is high on him at all (at least that you would believe). Again, I'm expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

good point jim a!

If the Yanks feel Hughes is ready to pitch at the big league level then he'll log the 180 innings they've projected for him this yr either for NY or Scranton or a combination of the 2 ,it really doesn't matter 6 innings x 30 starts =180 innings or an 80-85 pitch count per start....I do think the Yanks will give him 6-12 starts at Scranton...in the meantime both Karstens and Ohlendorf logged 180+ innings in 2006 ,it would seem to me they are as deserving provided they perform well

I feel the same on Igawa. Not sure what to expect but hoping. He's better the Wright. Right? Hopefully. LOL.

That would be great to see. Igawa have a better years than Mats.