Rotation uncertainty: The return of Andy Pettitte
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Aug 30, 2012 
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Even Andy Pettitte isn’t sure what to expect. He’s supposed to get on a mound this weekend, and his arm feels good, but he hasn’t pitched in a game since June 27. A broken ankle is no longer the problem. Pettitte needs to get his legs under him.
“I’m hoping that whenever I’m able to get on the mound, whenever that process is, that I’ll be able to build up that stamina,” he said. “I have no idea. Like I’ve told y’all all along, I have no idea how my stamina is going to be. Not only in my arm, my legs. I feel like the arm’s going to be good, (but) I’ve had eight weeks of really not doing a whole lot other than riding a bike and swimming in the swimming pool as far as trying to condition. That’s a long ways away from driving off the mound downhill.”
For the Yankees rotation, there is no greater uncertainty than Pettitte’s return. They need Ivan Nova to be productive again, and they need Phil Hughes to keep pitching well, and they’d love Hiroki Kuroda to remain a back-of-the-ballot Cy Young candidate.
But Pettitte is the prize.
“I still know I’m a long ways away,” he said. “I haven’t gotten on a mound yet. Obviously it’s frustrating. I’ve kind of gotten over that whole point, and now I’m just trying to get to the point where I can get on the mound and just start working to be able to get back.”
Pettitte’s ankle seems to have healed, but he’s racing against the clock. The minor league regular season ends next week, and the minor league postseason won’t last beyond the middle of September. That doesn’t give him much time to rehab, and even if he can get some rehab work done, how many big league games can he possible pitch down the stretch? Would one or two starts be enough to trust him in the postseason? What if those starts were bad?
Pettitte has said he’d like to get “a couple” of starts to get himself ready, but he’s already suffered one setback in his recovery, and he can’t afford to rush himself to make sure those couple of tuneups become a reality.
“I think we’ve got to be careful with how much I’m doing, just because doc’s just telling me I’ve got to watch the load,” Pettitte said. “I’m trying to push it to that limit, get to the point where I’m fatigued in there and get a little bit of discomfort in there, and then come back in there today and I feel good where I had a good work day yesterday. When I get on a mound, that will be real important to not beat it up so bad where I come in the next day and I’m taking a few days to recover. I wish I could tell you all more. It’s kind of like day-to-day right now figuring out what I could or couldn’t do.”
Associated Press photo
Mauer would be a guy the Yankees coukd really market as well…….they should think about it if the Twins would eat some money…..Id rather have Mauer than Granderson long term.
Ill bet on Andy making it back and starting Game 3 of the ALDS
blake -
I haven’t put any eggs in the Pettitte basket. Even before his set back. Because this injury meant he couldn’t keep his legs in shape. I was/am hopeful, of course. But I was never counting on him coming back.
Alex is a mystery. He’s all about timing, but his timing seems to come and go at will. In that case, might as well hope he has the timing from the get-go. Unlikely, sure, but it could happen.
I don’t expect Tex to be back in less than 2 weeks, and probably closer to 3. If he comes back before 2, I would bet money that he gets reinjured. I’d rather he take longer and stay back then come back too soon and end up missing the playoffs, or part of the playoffs (if they get there).
Nova? Anyone’s guess.
than, not then.
The boat has sailed on Mauer. A good player, but there are plenty of “good” players. Mauer’s value was his being a catcher. Your Now looking atta Posada concerning Mauer. PASS
Yanks need a Lefty\Pettitte, but the guy overlooked is Phelps. Forget Nova, Hughes to the Pen for the playoffs. Phelps is the budding Ace.
Adding Mauer would be a great boost, especially in the Playoffs. Basically he would completely upgrade the catcher slot for 2 out of every 3 games in the playoffs or more. If the Yanks could get him at $15M ± $2M, I am surre they could benefit and even trade him during the off-season if necessary. Not sure I’d include Sanchez though.
Speaking of Posada, LOL, how many people would love to have his bat back now? He could even play 1B!
If you gave me 15 million budgeted for Swish vs. Mauer, I’d spend it on Mauer 10 x out of 10.
It’s not close for me because Mauer can catch 80 games per year so he has a positional advantage over Swisher and his contact rates suit this lineup. We need a guy who is there all the time, every day, no disappearing acts.
Mauer has leadership abilities as well and Swish is a hot dog. I think Mauer’s value increases in Yankees Stadium. Picking up him would be better than Hanley Ramirez because there is actually a place to put Mauer, whereas Hanley was blocked.
I really hope the Yankees can get Mauer.
No way would I give the Twins Sanchez though. Romine, yes. Adams, yes, Nunez, yes. I might even offer Tyler Austin or Phelps.
No Gary Sanchez
No Manny Banuelos
No Mason Williams
No Slade Heathcott
No Michael Pineda
No Jose Campos
swisher > Mauer
Posada did have pretty good splits against right handed starters.. I think I looked a few days back to refresh my memory and his OBP was above .700.
Mauer is a career .322 hitter and he plays catcher. OK.
There is no way you can think about putting Hugbes in thr pen for the playoffs as things stand now……hes their #3 starter at the moment.
We all know how Ichiro went to ownership and demanded a trade to the Yankees. Imagine Mauer doing the same? It’s possible they’ve at least talked about moving him.
I completely disagree Swisher is better than Mauer. When has Swisher been in MVP consideration? Target Field is huge and kills power production. He is a legitimate .320 hitter with 15-20 home run power. Tha is just the type of hitter the Yankees need.
I have now expended more thought and energy on a topic that has no relationship to reality.
“swisher > Mauer”
Keep Swisher and give Mauer Grandy’s money …….jts nit haooening though. Mauer has a full no trade and the Yanks simply wont take on the money.
Mauer though is a .400 OBP bat against righties and lefties and would be very marketable in NY…….
You never know austinmac, Yankees are weird and stealth about their targets. Cliff Lee was a target, under Hal. Ichiro is a guy they’ve always loved too and POOF he requests a trade here. Never know what’s going through the minds of these players. The Twins situation might not be fun for Mauer anymore. They’re broken, like the Mariners.
The Twins trading their hometown superhero seems unlikely. And the Yankees trading for him seems even more unlikely.
austinmac August 30th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
I have now expended more thought and energy on a topic that has no relationship to reality.
—————-
Team Greedy wants to have ALL the ideas!!!
Reality be damned, we’re the f**king Yankees.
Mauer is basically Jeter in his prime offensively without the speed……yea I wouldn’t mind one of those
Hal lusted after Cliff Lee.
Their targets are few, and precise.
I think the Twins wouldnt consider moving Mauer but my guess is that theyd refuse to eat any of his contract ……and there is no way the Yanks are taking 138 million bucks……..
Would consider*
How many teams out there could absorb Mauer, need Mauer and offer the Twins a quick rebuild?
Austin, Phelps, Romine, Adams, Nunez.
by swisher > mauer, i meant as far as cost wise, production wise mauer is better but at the price he is its not worth it.
How many teams out there could absorb Mauer, need Mauer and offer the Twins a quick rebuild?
Austin, Phelps, Romine, Adams, Nunez.”
I wouldnt want them to.trade all that for him and take the contract.
Me neither Blake, but I would trade all 5 of them in a heartbeat if they offered Mauer at 13-15 million per year. That’s only double what they were going to give Russell Martin just this past offseason.
Austin might be a keeper…I would be hesitant to ttade him…..he could move fast potentially if theyll push him
True Blake but we’re talking about the most famous Twin since Kirby Puckett. We’re talking about a cornerstone player here like you said – Jeter in his prime. You have to include one A prospect and a boatload of major league ready talent that affords the Twins a quick rebuild.
blake – I still think no trade clauses are more of a mild obstacle than a deterrent to try to move players. I know he has a full no-trade, which is different than some of the partial ones that moved around in Boston, but I can never think of many cases where a no-trade is the main road-block in a trade in any sport.
Ill be really surprised if the Yanks do anything at all……doubt theyll be a trade and doubt theyll try Adams or Montgomery either.
Shame,
I think Mauer is a special case though because hes from there….Im not sure whether that trumps winning or trumps a new start for him or not.
Bret,
Depends….but yea if they made him cost around 15 million then id get more aggressive with an offer…..
Only 138m? If that is all, Mauer will be an LAD before tomorrow night….
Mauer has caught 63 games this year with a CS of 11%. Due to his knees you could probably catch him for no more than 50% of the season. He will be 30 next April. And gets 23million for another 6 years. That is the downside.
The upside, NY catching absolutely sucks. Mauer is a .310+ hitter with 15-20 HR potential in YS who has an OBP of .400. Mauer’s presence would be a major boost to the line-up.
The deciding point is the budget though. Owner Hal’s objective is 189 not so much 28. And since Joe is owed 23mil per, you can forget trading for him because I doubt MIN will want to chip in a dime to send him to the hated yankees. MIN fans would freak.
So IMO getting Mauer is very unlikely given ownership’s priority.
How about this postseason lineup
Jeter
Mauer
Cano
Arod
Teixera
Swisher
Granderson
Ibanez
Ichiro
Back to reality now
“. And since Joe is owed 23mil per, you can forget trading for him because I doubt MIN will want to chip in a dime to send him to the hated yankees. MIN fans would freak.”
I agree…..I do thibk theyd trade him because its a terrible contract for them but I cant see them kicking in money….especially to the Yanks.
blake August 30th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
That lineup sounds great! We can hope!
blake – It definitely adds another wrinkle.. one that might make the Twins ownership adverse to moving him regardless of his NTC. But I don’t think the clause itself would be the main reason not to move him.
http://riveraveblues.com/2012/.....row-75067/
Alex starting a rehab assignment tomorrow in Tamoa…..some good news!
Comparing Mauer to Jeet, is like comparing Copperfield to Houdini. A media created flavor-of-the-month, to a time-tested Legend.
“Comparing Mauer to Jeet, is like comparing Copperfield to Houdini. A media created flavor-of-the-month, to a time-tested Legend.”
Offensively they are very similar …..Jeter has done it a lot longer…..but Mauer can really hit
Maurer is no flavor of the month. He is one of the best hitters in baseball. He would significantly change the lineup. Still don’t think their is a chance in the world. These are words I would love to eat.
Career
Mauer: .322/.403/.466/.870
Jeter: .313/.382/..449/.831
Blake I like your proposed lineup avec Mauer,, the challenge is you need to find a way somehow, someway to get Martin’s bat in there.
I’ve learned from skipper Joe the NY lineup is not complete without Martin in it and I almost shutter to think of the fallout if you remove that .195 stick from the Yankee order.
Mauer is No Jeet, No $20 Mill player, though he is frequently a No Show.
The big difference though is health and the fact that Jeter has been durable enough to play a premium position to the age of 38 and beyond…….but straight up hitting Mauer is basically Jeter or better.
Can’t see the Yanks doing that, even at $ 13 M a year. That’s six years for a guy already in physical decline who will need to DH probably half the time. Yanks already have plenty of guys in physical decline that need to DH quite a bit.
Comparing Mauer to Jeet, is like comparing Copperfield to Houdini. A media created flavor-of-the-month, to a time-tested Legend…..
Mauer was on pace to be a first ballot HOF before injuries began robbing him.
He was an elite player. Yet, despite these setbacks he is still an AS.
Jeter’s value to NY is comparable to what Mauer’s value was to MIN. Mauer is not a flavor of the month.
They could have Mauer at C vs rhp and DH Ibanez, Mauer at DH vs lhp and Martin at C (he hits lhp decently).
Not happening though.
“Can’t see the Yanks doing that, even at $ 13 M a year. That’s six years for a guy already in physical decline who will need to DH probably half the time. Yanks already have plenty of guys in physical decline that need to DH quite a bit.”
I don’t have a real good sense as to whether he’s caught so little because he can’t catch more or if it’s just the Twins trying to protect their investment…..he’s only 29 years old and his bat seems back this year. I’d rather give him 13 million a year than Granderson at age 33 to K close to 200 times to be honest.
“They could have Mauer at C vs rhp and DH Ibanez, Mauer at DH vs lhp and Martin at C (he hits lhp decently).”
Yup….there are a lot of things they could do….Mauer gets on base 40% of the time vs righties and lefites
Oh here we go with the “1st ballot HOF” again. We got guys one day claiming Jones issa 1st Ballot guy, and then the next day trash him. Lou Gehrig was NOT a 1st Ballot HOF’er. You guys need to slow down handing out the hardware.
I’d rather give him 13 million a year than Granderson at age 33 to K close to 200 times to be honest.
************************************************************************
I wouldn’t do either
White Sox up 1-0 on the O’s…..go ChiSox!
“Lou Gehrig was NOT a 1st Ballot HOF’er. You guys need to slow down handing out the hardware.”
“At the major league winter meetings in Cincinnati in December 1939, the BBWAA held a special election to act on Lou Gehrig, who had announced his retirement that summer. The writers elected Gehrig to the Hall of Fame (the results of that election are unknown) and also determined to postpone the next regular election until 1942, as the initial quota of 10 inductees from the 20th century had been met.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....Lou_Gehrig
Gehrig was elected in 1939 and didn’t retire until 1939
Bret The Hitman August 30th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
You never know austinmac, Yankees are weird and stealth about their targets. Cliff Lee was a target, under Hal. Ichiro is a guy they’ve always loved too and POOF he requests a trade here. Never know what’s going through the minds of these players. The Twins situation might not be fun for Mauer anymore. They’re broken, like the Mariners.
~~~
speaking of that trade, an update on the other side of it (in AAA Tacoma)..
- Mitchell 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 26 K’s in 42.2 IP
- Farquhar 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA and 12 K’s in 13.2 IP
oh, and a team that goes 27-17 since the break is more in the process of being fixed … at least that’s my rosy POV
Ichiro cost $2 million. A relatively cheap addition. His bat and speed are no longer what they were. He is not the bat they have needed.
When Gehrig played you didn’t have to be retired to be elected….he got 22.6% of the vote in 1936 while he was still playing…..he died in 1939 and immediately was elected by special committee…..so yea he was a first ballot guy by todays standards easily.
off again….later
The first elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were held in 1936. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) were given authority to select individuals from the 20th century; while a special Veterans Committee, made up of individuals with greater familiarity with the 19th century game, was polled to select deserving individuals from that era. The intent was for 15 honorees to be selected before the 1939 ceremonies – 10 from the 20th century and 5 from the 19th; additional players from both eras would be selected in later years.[1] Voters were given free rein to decide for themselves in which group a candidate belonged, with neither group knowing the outcome of the other election; some candidates had their vote split between the elections as a result – Cy Young, the pitcher with most wins in Major League history, finished 8th in the BBWAA vote and 4th in the Veterans vote. In addition, there was no prohibition on voting for active players, a number of whom received votes. Individuals who had been thrown out of baseball – such as Shoeless Joe Jackson and Hal Chase – were also not formally excluded, though few voters chose to include them on ballots.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....ting,_1936
so the voters had 3 years to elect 15 guys from all time up until that point and Gehrig got 22.6% of the vote in that first election while he was still playing!…
No active players were even voted in during that election.
Orioles take the lead. Back up catcher Taylor Teagarden homers. Must be nice to have a catcher who can hit the ball out of the infield.
Quintana is getting hammered.
Garbage series from Chicago this week, but still not as bad as the Yankees at home against Toronto.
Keep thinking teams like the White Sox are really good when they trounce us and then the next week I realize they aren’t quite so good after all.
Mind you, we made the Cleveland Indians look half decent! You really see just how bad they are when Oakland go in there and win four games in a row with ease.
Remember how we were tipping our hat to Justin Masterson only last Saturday? Well, he gave 8 runs on 8 hits in four innings today.
Actually, we are lined up for Hughes, CC and Kuroda vs TB @ home.
If Andy gets Freddy’s start on 9/18, he can go 3 more times after that with the home finale vs Bost on 10/3.
Everyone knows that the Yanks are going to rush Arod back just like they did with Joba. I would rather have 100% of Chavez and Nix instead of 50% of Arod batting in the middle of the order. If Arod wants to come back early and bat at the bottom of the lineup fine but otherwise they are going to pitch around Cano in every at bat to get to him. We have seen that with him before when he comes back from injuries and it takes him forever to get his timing back.
Was in Cleveland last weekend…saw Fri & Sat games. So many NYY fans was like being in YS…”Derek Jeter” chants and everything. Sat Cleveland won 3-1. Never heard a word from Indians fans until last out (Probably thought they’d end up losing), then all of a sudden they were “F you Yankees, F the Yankees, F you Yankee fans” All the way back to hotel too. Not like that in Toronto. What a bunch of bitter losers! (Cavs, Browns & Indians)
http://www.grantland.com/blog/.....Today_Team
——–
This is actually some good comic relief to lighten up the mood.
A-Rod to DH tomorrow for the Class A Tampa Yankees.
GM Brian Cashman said he did not know how many rehab games A-Rod would need before returning to the Yankees, but said “I would not rule out” the possibility A-Rod could rejoin the team next week in St. Petersburg when the Yankees play an important three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/
Aardsma and AROD are playing for Tampa tomorrow. I wish their was a way to access those games.
You heard it here 1st:
mick August 30th, 2012 at 10:30 am
I have a feeling Cervelli will inject some life starting 9/1 and a 3rd catcher will help us.
I think Alex will be back in TB and Tex in Balt.
I can see Andy getting a start against TB @ home in mid-Sept. 3-4 innings as part of his rehab.
Those last 16 games against Tor, Oak,Min and Bost at full strength could be the start of a run.
All is not lost…
Another one:
Scott Hairston to the Yanks FA 2013.
Alex to be back as early as next week is truly unbelievable. The guy has really attacked his rehab and has made an amazing attempt to get back as soon as he can. Props to Alex big time.
Now he has a month to get his timing back before the playoffs start. And yes the Yankees will be in the playoffs.
Nine strikeouts for Britton in six innings. Unbelievable.
I see that Os only have Saturday’s starter identified on MLB and that is the lefty, Chen. I bet at least one of the other two days has a lefty too.
Mick, I don’t think Cervelli will see much of the field. That’s my prediction. Martin is going to turn it around, don’t you know? He could get his average in the high .190s before the season is over. And Stewart, except for a passed ball or two every game, is a defensive wizard.
I don’t know about Tex, but I agree AROD will likely be back by Tampa Bay. Heck, he’s in the neighborhood already.
HAHAHA Austin….love it. Girardi really just acts like everything is fine.