I believe the debate about bullpen vs. rotation for Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes has reached a critical point. The acquisition of Javier Vazquez ensures that one will start the season in the bullpen yet again. Who that is remains a question. Our very own Frank Russo believes Hughes is the better fit, most think Joba would be perfect as the “bridge to Mariano”, and Ken Rosenthal threw a curveball out there and said maybe neither will start. Yes, he mentioned the possibility about putting Hughes and Chamberlain in the bullpen and starting either Chad Gaudin or Alfredo Aceves. Not only does this sound patently ridiculous, but it would signal the young hurlers would be better off developing for any one of the other 29 teams. It would tell me the Yankees don’t have the stomach, patience, or belief in a young pitcher honing his craft in the pressure cooker of the Bronx.

Let me be clear in saying I don’t think this is a plan that will come to fruition. I think Gaudin and Aceves are serviceable pitchers, but aren’t any better than an innings limited Phil Hughes and inconsistent Chamberlain. Perhaps I should take the flip side of the argument and say that maybe Hughes and Chamberlain are too good out of the pen to pass up. For their career Hughes has an ERA of 1.40 and 11 strikeouts per nine innings out of the pen. Chamberlain’s ERA is 1.50 and 12 strikeouts per nine. These numbers are significant jumps from their performance as a starter and would comprise a virtual “lockdown” 7th and 8th inning. You would have to pay $10 million dollars combined for that kind of performance on the market.

With that said, starting pitching is at a premium and developing these kids would make even more sense from a monetary point of view. When Randy Wolf gets $10 million dollars per season you can see how expensive average starting pitching has become. The issue for the Yankees is that I believe they don’t want to go through the growing pains of developing a starter. Could it be their stars (Jeter, Rivera, Posada, A-Rod) know they are in the tail end of the productive portion of their career and don’t want to spend it watching Joba struggle with basic mechanics, or Hughes babied with innings limits? Also remember the four players I mentioned are making a combined $81 million dollars next year. You don’t want to spend that kind of money on “maybe” making the playoffs. You want as much of a guarantee as possible. The bottom line is Hughes and Chamberlain as your fourth and fifth starter puts a playoff appearance in jeopardy whether you want to admit it or not. Would it surprise you to see the Yankees swoop in on another “innings eater” like Jon Garland if the price comes down? Not me.

You know my opinion on the situation. I think Hughes is an intelligent pitcher who will have a nice career as a starter. Worst case I can see him as a #3 and the sky is the limit. Chamberlain has always been a mystery. He throws hard, but outside of a brief stint in 2007, he never has put together a benchmark of consistent success. His numbers are some of the most deceptive I have ever seen. He shows flashes of brilliance, but not enough to indicate you can trust him for 35 starts a year. That screams bullpen, but that’s just me.

Regardless, we never will know what these kids are until they are given a chance to pitch for a full season or two. It appears more likely that will never happen with the New York Yankees. Personally, if I were Chamberlain or Hughes, I would hope to get traded. As long as the Yankees have this type of payroll it will be hard for them to take chances on risky quantities. Prospects are assets for the Yankees that will be used to acquire developed talent. That philosophy has been on full display this offseason. There is no reason to believe that will change anytime soon. The best thing for these kid’s careers would be to pitch somewhere else.

Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin, Javier Vazquez, Joba Chamberlain, Jon Garland, Ken Rosenthal, New York Yankees, Phil Hughes