We arrived yesterday in Tampa and as soon as we got here, the Yankees started making some moves. Sergio Mitre was traded to the Brewers for Chris Dickerson early in the day and Kevin Millwood was signed to a minor league deal before lunchtime. Say what you want about Cashman but both these moves make a lot of sense.
Mitre has been struggling this spring and has never really found a definitive spot on this team. He has been used as a long man and a spot starter, but overall has never really become a go-to pitcher. Since the Yankees had signed Bartolo Colon, and he has pitched incredible well this spring, it is logical to make him the long man. Colon has not pitched 100 innings since 2005, and has only pitched a total of 64 innings over the previous two season. The Yankees considered him as a starter, but realized Colon wouldn't make it though the full season. Since his numbers were so strong this spring, it would be a shame to cut him, so Colon has been named the long man, ultimately leaving Mitre the odd man out. Its also noteworthy that Colon's pitch speed decreases inning by inning, so leaving him as a reliever makes it a no-brainer.
Now Granderson looks like he may be injured and could possibly start the season on the DL, so the Yankees needed an extra outfielder. It seems like Golson and Curtis didn't impress the team, so the Yankees looked outside the organization, finding Dickerson. That is why Mitre was traded for Dickerson. Dickerson has some major league experience and Mitre had no place on the team. Simple as that.
Last night or this morning, Ivan Nova was named the 4th starter and Garcia the 5th starter. We watched Nova pitch last night and he looked good, even without his great stuff. Last week when he pitched the no hitter against the Orioles he looked really sharp and his fastball had great movement down in the zone. Last night, he was good, but definitely not "sharp." Notwithstanding, he still managed to pitch 6 solid innings allowing only 2 earned runs. He had a few strikeouts and a walk, which led to one of those runs. Nova has come into camp to prove his worth as the #4 starter, and he is the obvious choice. If he doesn't work out, the Yankees still have insurance with Colon and possibly Millwood.
Millwood was given a low risk contract where he could make 1.5 mil if he makes the major league roster with incentives for ever 10, 15, 20 and 25 games he pitches. If he doesn't make the team by May 1st, he can opt out. The Millwood decision is very low risk and is nothing more than an insurance policy.
Cashman gets a lot of heat, but he made some smart low-risk moves this offseason. These moves so far have been high reward and hopefully will continue to pay off as the season progresses
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