Yankees Search for Options

With the loss of Chien-Ming Wang until at least September 1, the New York Yankees start the search for a way reach the playoffs for the 14th straight year without their ace and winner of 46 games in 2 years and 2 months. The first man given the chance to keep the Empire's head above water seems to be journeyman Dan Giese.

Giese cannot be expected to be the inning eater that Wang is nor can anyone expect Giese to be as dominate as Wang pitches during the regular season. No one can doubt Wang's ability to be a number one starter for the Yankees during the season, it is the playoffs that is another story, and no one will fill those shoes for the Bronx Bombers.

What Giese can provide the Yankees is someone who will go out to the mound and throw strikes. He should try and pitch with the same approach he has used throughout his career in AAA, get through at least the fifth inning, and hope that the Yankees offense can carry him to victories. If he cannot do the job, Brian Cashman will be searching for other answers.

Ian Kennedy should be coming off the disabled list within the next two or three weeks and has to be the Yankees first option after Giese. Although his struggles so far this season have been well documented, Kennedy has shown the ability to pitch at the major league level by going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts last September.

If Kennedy's return is slowed, and Giese does not get the job done, the Yankees may also look at the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Kei Igawa's name will always appear when the Yankees are searching for pitching because of his salary, but Igawa's lack of command on a fastball that tops out around 90 should be evidence enough that he has zero future in the Bronx. Sadly for Yankee fans Cashman has not realized Igawa's lack of ability at the highest level.

Other options include...

• Jeffrey Marquez: 6-7 4.69 ERA in 14 starts for Scranton (AAA)
  
• Daniel McCutchen: 1-4 3.62 ERA in 5 starts for Scranton (AAA)
  
• Alan Horne: 2-0 3.44 ERA in 4 starts for Scranton (AAA)
  
• James Jones: 8-2 2.30 ERA in 13 starts for Trenton (AA)
• Chase Wright: 6-1 2.56 ERA in 10 starts for Trenton (AA)

McCutchen and Horne will probably not receive a call-up until later in the season. Both have recently returned from the disabled list and the Yankees do not want to risk their futures for a couple of replacement starts. Jones has grown as a starter at Trenton last year and this year although it is unlikely they call him up before a few starts at the AAA level. Finally, Wright has not received much thought after serving up back to back to back to back home runs last season at Fenway. Although his record may make some consider another chance, a September call-up is much more likely.