Chamberlain and Kennedy probably won’t both be up in 08 though. 09 can be the Marlins type year. Moose is resigned for next year and I would bet Pettitte’s gentleman agreement option is picked up since he carried this staff for a month and has looked pretty good. Add in Hughes and Wang and that leaves one spot for a kid to bust in there. I could see the Yanks taking the Hughes treatment and having them finish off the year at AA and then getting some AAA time in to limit there innings and maybe a June call up for one or both next year. If not I hope 09 looks like this Santana, Hughes, Wang, Kennedy, Chamberlain. And anyone who says they don’t want Santana is nuts. He is the best pitcher in baseball and you don’t know what you are talking about if you say otherwisse.

The Marlins had 3 young pitchers in their rotation in 2003, Beckett, Penny and Pavano. They added Willis during the season to give them 4 outstanding young arms.

Sometimes, young pitchers are so good, you have to put them out there and take your chances. The Marlins did and they ended up winning a World Championship.

If Kennedy, Hughes and Chamberlain pitch like Penny, Beckett and Willis did in ’03, I don’t see how they can keep them out of the rotation.

You give young pitchers the Yankees offensive firepower and that’s a great combination.

I readily admit its not the way the Yankees have done business in the past. But, the Marlins blueprint (of using young arms and winning) is there. Unlike the Marlins, the Yankees won’t trade guys away because they don’t want to pay them.

If Britton and Ramirez continue to pitch well in AAA, and Humberto Sanchez, Mark Melancon, and JB Cox come back from surgery, the Yankees also have some attractive bullpen options for the future. Add in David Robertson and, for the first time in a long time, the Yankees have the type of pitching surplus that will also help them on the trade front.

They just have to make smart decisions with all these guys. That’s going to be the key.

As far as prospects go, the game hasn’t changed any since 1996. It’s always been a game of chance and always will be when it comes to relying on prospects.

Look at Craig Hansen with the Red Sox. He recieved a $4.5 mil signing bonus to be the Sox closer of the future. He’s not even on the Red Sox radar after bombing out last year and was one of the reasons they gave Joel Piniero a guaranteed $4mil contract this year.

With the money that’s being paid to average, let alone above average pitchers, injuries and other factors (pressures of playing in different markets), the more pitching you can develop internally is the way to go.

Especially important for a team like the Yankees. Why keep taking a bad luxury tax hit (which just helps their opponents load up on talent) when you have better internal options?

Its the trend throughout baseball right now.

They aren’t trading Wang, Hughes or Chamberlain. Kennedy? Probably not unless the player is named Miguel Cabrera or Mark Teixeira or some other under-30 star position player.

We know Hughes and Wang will be in the rotation 2009. why not Chamberlain and Kennedy.

Its been a long time since the Yankees had two guys this good, at the same time, in their system.

Obviously, injuries can throw a monkey wrench into things. However, if these guys stay healthy and productive, its hard to see the Yankees trading them unless they completely abandon their gameplan.

Damon is hitting .345 over the last six games. Thats not to shabby.

What the Yankees have are prospects every team wishes they had. They make great assets in trade talks. 50% of them may become legitimate major league pitchers. Let’s hope the Yanks get lucky and hold on the right ones.

Plus you’re not giving up anything of value for him.

And its just a matter of time before Cashman plugs that 1b/bench/right hand hitter hole. It won’t be a star but it will be a professional hitter. Something this bench needs.

Now the key is figuring out who are going to be the legit stars and therefore keepers and who are the trade bait.

A nice problem to have. Finally.