Late Wednesday night, The Stirring Straw reported the buzz surrounding Freddy Garcia and the Yankees nearing a contract agreement for next year. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated confirmed the deal this morning and the Yankees are now up to five starting pitchers for next year. So does this mean that Brian Cashman is done shopping for starting pitching for this winter?
He shouldn't be. The Yankees added depth to their rotation by re-signing Freddy Garcia for another year. There is no such thing as entering Spring Training with too much pitching on your hands. The Yankees have not pulled themselves out of the CJ Wilson or Yu Darvish sweepstakes, but it is still unknown how much serious interest they have in them.
After the general manager meetings in Milwaukee, CJ Wilson's agent asked to sit down with the Yankees front office to discuss the possibility of pitching in New York next year. Unless the price drops, the Yankees are looking like the ones being pursued instead of the other way around for Wilson. The negotiations for Darvish are different since teams have to bid on negotiating with him. The interest level is unknown, but has the potential to be high.
Garcia was a looked as a possible spot starter when he signed with the team last winter, but ended up playing a key role as the season went on. He had a solid year in comparison to what was expected of him. He posted a 12-8 record with a 3.62 ERA. That was his lowest ERA since he pitched 3.20 in 2004. A regression should be expected and this will only be the second consecutive year in which he pitches as a stable starter for one team since 2005 & 2006 with the Chicago White Sox. His earned run average bolted up in the second year, which definitely is not a sign of encouragement for the Yankees.
Acquiring a pitcher like Mark Buehrle or Edwin Jackson off the free agent market should still be on tab for Cashman. Trading for John Danks is still an option, if the price is right. Anybody that can bolster the rotation is wanted.
If someone else is added, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia could see themselves competing for a rotation spot. Cashman would like to see Hughes rebound after a down year in 2011, but moving Garcia to the bullpen does not translate that well with his types of pitches.
Another solution to adding another starter would be to get rid of AJ Burnett to make room for them. Cashman spoke out saying that he would be open to listening to offers. The Yankees would have to eat up a lot of what remains on his contract, so not that many teams are interested unless that happens. The chances of Burnett not being with the Yankees for Spring Training are below 50%, but if a trade happens during the off-season not that many fans should be surprised.
One more starter will probably be added to the team. Whether his last name is Wilson, Darvish, Buehrle, Jackson, or someone surprising, there will most likely be a battle for a spot in Tampa.
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