Before one starts clamoring for Johan Santana, I would just ask you to take a moment and look at your starting centerfielder.  Now granted Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy could use some extra seasoning in the minors but, dealing them would've also meant dealing Melky Cabrera and that would've been an even bigger mistake.

Now my opinion on the pitchers is that by sending them down they have the opportunity to fine tune their stuff and perhaps by beating up on some minor league competition, build up some confidence along the way.  I'm a big believer that Darrell Rasner, just named International League pitcher of the week, can be an adequate 4th or 5th starter and as much as it pains me to say it they are paying Kei Igawa $ 46 million so at least try to get something out of the guy.  There's nothing to say these guys can't be brought back up in early June and perhaps if they weren't limited to a certain amount of innings and were allowed to be stretched out, maybe they'd go six or seven innings instead of three or four like a reliever.

But onto our beloved centerfielder "Leche."  Ok so you want to tell me the Yankees could've signed Torii Hunter or someone like him to replace Melky?  Fine, but he may be the next Bernie Williams and may already be the best centerfielder in New York.

 Thus far in 2008 Melky vs. Carlos Beltran has two less runs scored (17-15), five more hits (24-19), three more homers (5-2), two less RBI (13-11), one more stolen base (3-2), better batting average (.289-.224), lower OBP by one percentage point (.359-.358) and a higher slugging percentage (.494-.412).  Mind you the calendar can flip to May and all of this could just as easily go out the window, however people are taking notice.

As for the "Bernie Baseball" comparison, adding up the first three years for Bernie (1993-1995) and Melky (2006-2008): Bernie leads in hits (443-302), runs (240-156), doubles (89-52), triples (14-10), homers (42-20), RBI (207-134), stolen bases (33-28), Melky has struck out less (140-258), Bernie walked more (189-109), both batting averages are fairly even.

Though Bernie did seemingly take off with his power numbers in his "third year" of 1995, he was 26, Melky is still only 23.  In any event the one player the Yankees may be estatic they didn't trade for Johan Santana is wearing number 28. 

What a suprise, its up to Andy Pettitte fresh off the DL to be the Yankees stopper once again.  Though Pettitte couldn't have rounded up enough leeches to place on LaTroy Hawkins right arm to stop the bleeding on Friday night as the Rays spanked the Yanks 13-4.

It all started when Ian Kennedy walked the ballpark, allowing six runs and four walks in just 2/1/3 innings of work. 

 With the Rays out in front 6-0, the Yankees bats came alive in the bottom half of the 3rd, cutting the deficit to 6-4.  Hideki Matsui homered to get the Yanks on the board, then Jose Molina singled, Derek Jeter tripled him in with a booming fly ball off the wall in center, Bobby Abreu grounded to 2nd scoring Jeter, A-Rod then singled up the middle and Jason Giambi smacked a double off the wall in right to score Rodriguez making it 6-4.

While Johnathan Albaladejo, Ross Ohlendorf and Billy Traber were able to hold the game in check, LaTroy Hawkins became gasoline man in the 8th getting torched for six runs including a HR to Cliff Floyd.  Not to be outdone Kyle Farnsworth then came on and gave up a solo shot to Carlos Pena.

Bomber Bites: Yes it is early, but if the Yankees have to keep dipping into the bullpen in the 4th or 5th inning, these once valuable relievers not named Hawkins and Farnsworthless are going to become very worn out very quickly.

What was so wrong with Luis Vizciano?  If Torre hadn't blown him out he'd have been fine to bring back.  Certainly better than LaTroy "I have an 8.64 ERA at Yankee Stadium" Hawkins!  Additionally if Joe Girardi was so convinced that he could fix Kyle Fransworthless, then why is a 23 year old kid named Joba Chamberlain setting up Mariano Rivera instead of pitching in the Yanks starting rotation?

And another thing... why with a weak bullpen did the Yankees trade Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit?  You know the same Wilson Betemit who hasn't seen the field at all this year?  Just wonderful!

Andy Pettitte must be the stopper once again, suprise, suprise!

No not quite a bloop and a blast.  But how about two bunts and a bloop?  Yes it was ugly, but it sure beats losing pretty as the Yanks improved to 2-1 on the season, beating the Jays 3-2.

Phil Hughes was particularly sharp throwing six strong innings of two run ball while striking out four along the way.  Phil's velocity wasn't quite up as much as the Yanks would've liked but his control was marvelous all night in his first appearance in the cold Bronx since he picked up the Yankees only win in Game 3 of the 2007 ALDS. 

From there Billy Traber and Brian Bruney looked solid in their respective 2008 debuts, with the lefty Traber striking out the only batter he faced.

Offensively (and some of this could be attributed to being an older team playing in colder weather) the Yankees still have some kinks to work out, though Toronto pitching has to be given a tremendous amount of credit. 

A wild pitch and sac fly resulted in the Yankees first two runs to tie it in the 6th.  Then in the 8th Melky Cabrera found himself in another rally with a single to right, a Johnny Damon bunt muffed by pitcher Scott Downs gave the Yanks two runners aboard.  Derek Jeter then laid down a sacrifice of his own (though wrongly called out at first) and the Yankees had runners in scoring position.  Then it was Bobby Abreu dunking one into short left-center to plate Damon and put the Yanks in front for good.

Then it was Joba Chamberlain giving the 'ol "Omaha Haymaker" to the Blue Jay bats for his first victory of the season.  That kept the seat warm for Mariano Rivera, who with Vernon Wells on 3rd serving as the tying run with two outs, struck out Aaron Hill looking to pick up his 2nd save on the young season the 445th of his illustrious career.

Bomber Bites: The "kiddy carousel" continues Friday night at Yankee Stadium as Ian Kennedy takes to the mound against the Rays or whatever they're calling themselves these days.

Ok Joe, now that we've seen all the relievers, can we also see some bench guys like Duncan, Betemit and Ensberg?

The mark of a solid manager is one that knows how to play situational baseball and knows how to make adjustments throughout the course of a game.  And seeing as how his big boppers weren't booming, Joltin' Joe Girardi-o decided to change it up and play some small-ball rather than waiting on the 3-run homer. 

Perhaps Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina don't speak Spanish, but apparently Bobby Abreu certainly must've heard the words uttered... "contract year."  

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the New York Yankees may want to follow the lead of the Boston Red Sox in grabbing what could be a bargain of a pitcher.  While the Red Sox inked Bartolo Colon to a minor league pact, the Yankees would be equally wise to inquire about the services of Freddy Garcia. 

Though Garcia may not be ready until about June or July, he's well worth the risk.  Because aside from his injury last season, only once in his career (2000) has he ever not hit at least 200 innings in a season.  As evidenced by their 2007 campaign, one can never have enough pitching and Garcia seems to fit the bill as a solid insurance policy.  He's even younger than Colon and would add an effective veteran presence to the staff, even moreso than Roger Clemens did when he joined the staff last June. 

Signing Garcia if even for a short time works well for the Yankees needs.  If say for instance Andy Pettitte is worn down by off-field distractions, Mike Mussina really is over the hill, Phil Hughes pops a hammy, Ian Kennedy is back down in Wilkes-Barre and Joba Chamberlain is desperately needed in an ultra-thin bullpen, Garcia could truly be that pick-me-up the Yankees need.  Now hopefully none of those things happen, but this could also be a beyond 2008 plus for the Yanks. 

Assuming Garcia pitches well, at 33 as one of the veterans on the staff he could take Mussina's spot in the rotation after his contract is up or if for some reason Pettitte decides to ultimately hang 'em up. 

Garcia is also needed because if the Yankees truly plan to limit the amount of innings on their young trio of Hughes-Chamberlain-Kennedy, to say 150 innings a piece, it is paramount to have someone to be able to eat those innings.  Another plus out of this is that unlike Roger Clemens, this won't cost them $28 million either.

Did I mention that Garcia also has an impressive post-season resume?  Overall he is 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA and 45 K's in 55 innings.  He won a ring with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, pitching a gem in the World Series against the Houston Astros allowing no runs in seven innings striking out seven along the way to pick up the win.  His first post-season win if you're wondering came at... Yankee Stadium.

If the Minnesota Twins want Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain for Johan Santana, the New York Yankees should tell them to go fish.  In fact the Yanks may be just as wise to fish somewhere else, namely revisiting trade talks with the Florida Marlins.  While the Yanks have been virtually ruled out of the Miguel Cabrera sweepstakes since re-signing A-Rod, they may be better served to make a deal with the Marlins rather than the Twins.

First on the Santana front, for one thing if the Twins are asking for a king's ransom in the neighborhood of a five for one deal involving say either  Phil Hughes and or Joba Chamberlain, Robinson Cano and other prospects, then it's a bad deal.  Look I'm not saying the Yankees are entitled to Santana and should get him for Wilson Betemit, Shelley Duncan and Kyle Farnsworth, but to gut your farm system or core young players for one guy as great as he is doesn't make a lot of sense, especially given that the Twins have little to no leverage when it comes to keeping Santana.

If the Yankees made a reasonable package sending one of the big three in 2007 minor league pitcher of the year Ian Kennedy, centerfielder Melky Cabrera and perhaps a pitching prospect like Eastern League Double-A pitcher of the year Alan Horne and or outfield prospects Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata, then I'd say it's a pretty fair deal.  Especially considering even without Hughes, Chamberlain or Cano, that's still a better deal than anyone else is throwing out there, so why should the Yankees bid against themselves unless the Mets want to get crazy and throw in Jose Reyes or the Red Sox get in there with a package of Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, even though they've said Ellsbury is off limits.

Now onto what the Yankees could actually do to fill in more holes and that involves going back into talks with the Marlins.  Think about it, if the Yankees are going to give up a plethora of four to five players to get one in Santana, then why not make a multi-player deal with the Marlins and fill more holes in return? 

I'll preface this by saying I don't want to give up Phil Hughes in either deal, however giving Hughes to Florida makes more sense if you can get the Marlins to give you more back in return, rather than giving up Hughes along with other players to Minnesota for "just" Santana. 

Originally it had been bantered around that the Marlins would want Kennedy, Cabrera, Horne and one of the two minor league outfielders between Tabata and Jackson for Miguel Cabrera.  However, had they wanted Hughes in the deal instead of Kennedy, the Yankees could've easily asked back for not only Cabrera but Dontrelle Willis and a couple of the Marlins young bullpen arms such as Matt Lindstrom, Taylor Tankersley, Henry Owens etc. 

Now honestly given everything in the way of the number and value of prospects traded, you tell me what looks better?  Trading a bevy of prospects for one guy in Johan Santana who will cost a fortune.  Or filling 1st base for the next decade with Miguel Cabrera, adding a still young lefty workhorse starter in Dontrelle Willis and potentially filling a couple of bullpen spots with a possible successor to Mariano Rivera with a guy like Lindstrom, Owens and or Tankersley? 

Of course if the Yankees really didn't care at all for their minor league system, they could technically pull both deals off.  If they sent Kennedy, Cabrera, Jackson and Horne to Minnesota for Santana and then sent Hughes, Tabata and another couple of pitching prospects to Florida for Cabrera, Willis and either Lindstrom, Owens and or Tankersley, they'd have a pretty sick roster, especially if to replace Melky Cabrera as many are expecting, they sign Aaron Rowand.

So imagine a lineup of: Damon LF, Jeter SS, Cabrera 1B, Rodriguez 3B, Abreu RF, Posada C, Cano 2B, Rowand CF, Matsui DH.  Starting rotation: Santana, Pettitte, Wang, Chamberlain, Willis.  Bullpen: Rivera, Vizciano, Lindstrom, Tankersley, Owens, Mahay, Percival.

I'll admit Andy Pettitte has always been a favorite of mine.  A first class person and professional who personafies excellence.  Which is why the Yankees as A-Rod did to them, must go to Andy's doorstep and get on their knees and beg for him to come back to the Yankees.

If there's one lefty hurler the Yanks should focus their immediate attention on, that won't cost them as much money or any prized prospects it's Pettitte.  Thus with virtually every other Yankee being brought back and given a pay raise, there's no reason why the Yanks can't do the same for Pettitte.  If it means giving him $20 million + with an option an a "Roger Clemens family plan," then do it!

Granted the Yankees have stressed the importance of wanting, needing and having Pettitte in their rotation but one would think they would like to add an extra incentive to one of their own homegrown winners, a "true Yankee." 

Pettitte is a proven winner in New York, in the playoffs and in the clubhouse.  Pettitte is also a gamer, the ultimate stopper and would be an invaluable asset in mentoring the Yankees young trio of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.  Plus Pettitte is a lefty, the Yankees haven't won a World Series without a lefty in their rotation since 1958.

If not for poor run support and a shaky bullpen in the early going, Pettitte easily could've won 20+ games last season and won 15 as it was.  Pettitte also threw over 215 innings, his most in the Bronx since 1998.  With 14 playoff wins and 4 rings, one cannot begin to stress the importance of bringing back # 46.

When pitching ace Jimmy Key went down in 1995 a rookie by the name of Andy Pettitte stepped up and won 12 games.  In 1996 when another ace David Cone went down, Pettitte answered the call and won an AL best 21 games finishing 2nd in Cy Young voting.  In the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees basically had no game 7 starter, they then realized how much it hurt and how badly they needed Pettitte.  If only for one more year, please come back Andy!

Pay Pettitte or regret it.

New York Yankees pitching instructor Dave Eiland must feel like a proud Papa, seeing his pupils Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy all succeeding at the Major League level. Eiland knows what it's like first hand to be a successful minor league Yankee pitching prospect.

Dave Eiland's success started while pitching in my town in 1988 for the Double-A Eastern League Albany Colonie Yankees, going 9-5 with a 2.56 ERA. That 1988 season of course was also the same season Eiland made his New York Yankee debut getting a cup of coffee appearing in three games.

While Eiland had varied success and rode the "Columbus shuttle" between Triple-A and the majors, he had his most stellar season of record in 1990. That season for the Clippers Eiland who possessed a good sinking fastball, was named a Triple-A All Star and the Most Valuable International League Pitcher. Eiland led the league in wins with 16, complete games with eleven, shutouts with three, ranked third with an ERA of 2.87 and struck out 96.

Though Eiland spent most of his Yankee career on the elevator between the majors and the minors along with a return cameo in 1995, his experience and knowing what it takes to succeed on each of those levels has helped so greatly the Yanks decided to give him another September call-up, where his continued guidance of Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy has paid off big time.

Also a little fun note of baseball knowledge Yankee fans may or may not have known about Dave Eiland if you want a great baseball trivia question. Dave Eiland remains the only pitcher/player to allow a homer to the first batter he ever faced and the first to also in his first at bat hit a homer off the first pitcher he ever faced. Eiland in his call-up in 1988 for the Yanks surrendered a leadoff homer to the Milwaukee Brewers Paul Molitor. Four years later in 1992 while playing over in the National League for the San Diego Padres in his first major league plate apperance ever, Eiland homered off of the Los Angeles Dodgers Bobby Ojeda. How about that?