Brian McCann was asked about getting to know the Yankees’ pitching yesterday at this introductory press conference and hailed CC Sabathia for being “as good as it gets” and Ivan Nova for “pitching great.”
He then offered, “I haven’t really looked too deep into it yet. I want to take my time and understand what we are working with.”
Actually, Brian, no study was necessary. That is the Yankees’ rotation right now. Well, maybe a little study is necessary, since when last seen Sabathia was not as good as it gets any longer and Nova was, indeed, at a peak, but in a roller-coaster career that has left him less than dependable.
And those are the rotation certainties. After that? Dreaming on Michael Pineda, and hoping there is a starter or two and depth from among Adam Warren, David Phelps, David Huff, Brett Marshall and Vidal Nuno. In the bullpen, the sure things are David Robertson and Shawn Kelley, and who knows if Robertson can close and — my gosh — are things so bad that we just described Shawn Kelley as a sure thing?
Nevertheless, the Yankees have not hidden their priorities this offseason: offense, offense and offense. Within that McCann was the main target. His agent, B.B. Abbott, told me yesterday general manager Brian Cashman never played a second of poker, never mentioned other catching options or Plan Bs.
“He said this is the guy we want,” Abbott said by phone. “They made it very clear they wanted [McCann] to be the first sign in free agency, and then their first offer was the first offer of a team putting its foot forward to do just that.”
The gravy on top — if it was needed beyond five years at $85 million — was a visit to New York in which the Yanks wined and dined McCann and showed him all the goodies a home player could enjoy at the Stadium. Then they literally took him to home plate and asked him to behold the proximity of the right field porch and imagine what his lefty pull swing could produce.
But here is the thing: That porch is there for everyone. Just ask Phil Hughes. McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury should help the lineup, so should a full year of Alfonso Soriano, and the hoped return to health of Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. But, right now, the Yankees’ staff lacks three starters, a proven closer and anything approaching a lefty set-up man.
And the conundrum is this: If the Yanks actually are able to retain Robinson Cano, that will damage the ability to upgrade the pitching if they keep to their $189 million payroll plans (and they privately insist that is happening). They could go for surer pitching items if Cano does depart, but the offensive facelift will not be as substantial without the gifted second baseman.
Yankees officials have grown to believe Cano is leaving. They insist they are not budging much beyond their seven-year, $165 million-ish proposal and think Cano will leave if he is offered more — and there were reports yesterday Seattle would offer more, including one from ESPN that it would go as high as $240 million. The Yanks have believed from the outset of the offseason that the Mariners had the combination of desperation to improve and financial resources to make a blow-away offer to land Cano.
If Cano leaves, the Yankees could hone in on Shin-Soo Choo. But that would create an all-lefty outfield (Choo, Ellsbury and Brett Gardner) with on-base skills and speed, but not much power. Also, it would force Soriano to be a primary DH, when they want McCann and Jeter filling that spot often to preserve their bodies. Mostly, though, it also would take enough money to prevent significant pitching upgrades beyond Hiroki Kuroda, who the Yanks think will come back to pitch next year.
The more likely route would be to do smaller offensive pieces — think Omar Infante at second, Raul Ibanez as an outfielder/DH, Stephen Drew or Juan Uribe as further left-side-of-the-infield insurance for Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
Then they would go harder after pitching with Kuroda, Masahiro Tanaka (if he is posted) and someone such as Joaquin Benoit to set up for Robertson or close if Robertson can’t handle being Mariano Rivera’s replacement.
Maybe they even decide to protect the rotation further by signing, say, Benoit and Grant Balfour and team them with Robertson to try to have a lockdown final nine outs. Or maybe they make a small investment in a one-time star such as Johan Santana or Roy Halladay in hopes savvy and fumes of greatness provide 150 quality innings.
The math gets easier for the Yanks if A-Rod’s suspension is upheld, his salary doesn’t count against the payroll next year and the ruling comes early enough in January that, say, Tanaka has yet to conclude his negotiations and a few tantalizing pieces remain on the market.
For now, though, the Yankees’ priorities and pitching are similar — both are kind of offensive.