It’s June 1st and we are no closer to figuring out the Yankees bullpen configuration than we were back in April. Since Joba Chamberlain will not be transitioning to the bullpen what should the Yankees do? Obviously a trade can be made, but it’s way too early to speculate on that front. The Yankees bullpen has talent, but they lack direction about specific roles. Here is my personal plan on what I would do with the current group. Obviously the one role I won’t talk about is closer.

Situational Lefty - Phil Coke. The numbers indicate that Coke would be the perfect situational lefty. You could use him in the same manner that Jerry Manuel does with Pedro Feliciano. He is not terrible against RHB, but Coke has been shaky in situations where he has been asked to go a full inning. This is an example of a young pitcher that would greatly benefit from knowing what his role will be.

Long Reliever – Brett Tomko. Yes you need a long reliever. There is always going to be situations that call for 2-3 innings of work. Normally this is when the team is behind in the game. Why waste two of your best arms, Wang and Aceves, in those situations? Tomko, a former starter, is the one pitcher that has experience going multiple innings. He performed a similar role in 2006 with LA and had some decent results.

Seventh Inning – I would give Chien Ming Wang the opportunity to grab the seventh. He has yet to pitch on back to back days, which is a problem, but is there any reason to believe he won’t be able to? I know his strikeout rate is low, but he throws hard and doesn’t have to worry about pacing himself in a short stint. His “bowling ball” sinker is a tough look for hitters late in the ball game. There is no room, barring injury, for him in the rotation so why not try him out in a setup role the rest of this year?

Eighth Inning – Alfredo Aceves. The comparisons to El Duque tell me how highly the Yankees regard Aceves. He has the strikeout rate you are looking for in a reliever and, if need be, can go multiple innings. Joe Girardi needs to stop wasting him in games like this and this. There is going to be a day that Mariano might not be able to pitch so who is your second closer? Aceves is the one guy that I bet has the stomach to be put into a big spot.

What to do with Robertson and Veras? Neither pitcher has proven that he can be trusted in a big spot. Robertson, in my opinion, has greater upside than Veras. Other than “white flag duty” Veras has no role on this team. He probably belongs in AAA. Robertson is intriguing. He could wind up being a seventh inning guy at some point. Do you trust him on June 1st? I don’t like to throw rookies into big situations until I have a bigger sample size. Start out giving him a situation in the sixth or, if Wang is unavailable, the seventh. He has the potential to be your setup man, but needs to earn it. In most cases he should be the guy that you go to when your down a run or two late to keep you close.

I believe this plan would stabilize the bullpen and put the talent out there in the best position to succeed. The Yankees have a great shot at a pennant. There is very little difference between them and the Red Sox. What could be the deciding factor is the bullpen. There is not a talent gap in the bullpen, but rather, clarity of roles that could undo the Yanks this year. This plan, in my opinion, is a decent first step towards bullpen transparency.

Howard and I talked about the Yankees and the bullpen during the back half of yesterday’s Weekly Digest. Check it out by downloading the replay.

Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Brett Tomko, Chien Ming Wang, David Robertson, Jose Veras, Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees, Phil Coke