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11:30

Welcome to the live chat. Mark will be here at noon, but you can start submitting your questions now. Remember, your comments will not appear until they are selected by the moderator.

12:00

Good afternoon everybody, and welcome back for the latest edition of "Blogging the Bombers: The Live Chat." I'm no psychic, but I'm guessing we'll be discussing Roy Halladay, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes today, so let's get it started.

12:00

[Comment From Zach G.]
You said it a previous chat that the Yankees playoff rotation would be Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, and Pettite. With Hughes most likely playing a significant role in the bullpen, where does that leave Joba?

12:03

Well, for starters, you can take Wang out of that mix for now since we have no idea what will happen with his shoulder. Assuming that Joba doesn't get hurt this year, you would have to think that he'll reach his innings limit by October, so he'll be in the bullpen. I have no idea who they would use as a fourth starter if Wang isn't back, but perhaps they would go with a three-man rotation. We're a long way off from there, but I would be surprised to see the Yankees allow Joba to blow by his innings limit, which is believed to be around 160 or so.

12:03

[Comment From DD10]
mark- why on earth would they send Cervelli down for Molina. They finally had two players in Pena and Cervelli that gave them youth and perfromance. Should we believe Cashman when they say they want to get younger. These guys were playing well and had enough time on the field to develop at the MLB level.

12:06

It's simple... when you have a solid backup catcher, you don't release him just for kicks. Molina has been a very good backup to Jorge Posada since he joined the Yankees. Pitchers love throwing to him and he's good in the clubhouse. Releasing him wouldn't make any sense. What if they did that and then Cervelli got hurt? Then they're really screwed. Cervelli and Pena were two guys that didn't figure into the plans this season, but with the way they performed, they have set themselves up to be on the team from Opening Day in 2010. Getting a pair of 23-year-olds regular everyday play in the minors to get better isn't the worst idea. Both will be back in September, if not earlier.

12:06

[Comment From DocBooch]
Hi Mark, what's the reason the Yanks won't be major players in Halladay? Money, trade pieces, or division rivals? There have been numerous prior precedents that debunks every single one of those.

12:09

All of the above. For starters, I'd be shocked if the Blue Jays dealt him to another AL East team. I tried to think last night of big-time players of Halladay's status that have been traded within their own division and had trouble coming up with any (Feel free to email me if you can name any). Second, the price the Yankees would have to pay if Toronto was willing to trade him there would be enormous. I'm talking Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain AND Austin Jackson kind of enormous. It just isn't practical on either side for this trade to happen.

12:09

[Comment From Rich Allen]
The Yankees are VERY lefthanded in the outfield. Are they going to be looking for a righthanded outfield bat before the deadline?

12:12

Well. Melky and Swisher are switch-hitters, and considering that they start on pretty much a daily basis, I don't necessarily agree with that statement. Unless some outfielder falls in Cashman's lap, I don't see him making a deal for one. I would think he's much more concerned with finding a No. 5 starter and another bullpen arm.

12:12

[Comment From pat]
What do you think about Andy Pettitte´s ups and downs performances?

12:15

I think he's a 37-year-old with an 8-3 record. Pettitte has certainly had some issues at Yankee Stadium, which the Yankees can surely manage if they get to October by pitching him on the road. But he's 4-1 with a 2.79 on the road and has still managed to win four games at home. He's having a better season than most people thought he would have.

12:15

[Comment From Eric]
Mark, what do you think of the situation with Joba Chamberlin? Why does he seem to have so much trouble putting away hitters? Once the rotation regains some stability, don't you think he would be better suited in the bullpen? A potential 7-8-9 of Hughes-Joba-Mo could be pretty dominant.

12:18

What would a chat be without a Joba/bullpen question? I agree that Joba has struggled at times, but he's still 23. Like I've said numerous times, most 23 year old pitchers are still in Double-A. He's learning. I thought his last start was unwatchable, and the only real concern is that he thought he pitched well. That said, I'd still leave him in the rotation for two reasons: the bullpen has been terrific without him, and more importantly, who would start in his place? He's in the rotation and staying there.

12:18

[Comment From Bobby]
With Wang's injury, Joba's inconsistency, Petite's age and Burnett's injury history, do you see Cashman looking to augment the starting rotation?

12:21

Given the uncertainty over Wang's shoulder, I think Cashman is likely looking for help on the trade market. Alfredo Aceves is a nice stopgap, but taking him out of the bullpen right now weakens that group. Maybe Sergio Mitre will get a shot or maybe someone else will be brought in, but don't expect it to be a top of the rotation guy. We're talking about a No. 5 starter here.

12:22

[Comment From Donna]
What's your tke on Cano? Does he have mechanical batting issues, or can't play in NY batting issues?

12:25

I don't think it's a New York thing. He had three terrific years to start his career and is still batting over .300 this season. Cano is a guy that needs to be focused and needs someone riding him a little. That guy seems to be Kevin Long. Cano is a great talent whose head doesn't always seem to be in the game. Last night was important for him, because that RISP skid of 21 at-bats wasn't helping matters any.

12:25

[Comment From George]
In the event Aceves falters in the roll of the 5th starter, can you see the Yankees just giving in and putting Hughes back in the rotation and buliding him up like they did with Joba last year?

12:28

No, I don't see it. That whole process last year with Joba was a train wreck, building him up in the majors. I don't see Hughes coming out of the bullpen any time soon for that reason. The Yankees insist that Hughes' future is still as a starter, but I'm starting to think otherwise. If Hughes spends the rest of this season in the bullpen as I think he will, then you're looking at next year being the final year of Rivera's contract. I can see the Yankees keeping Hughes in the pen to throw 110 innings next year with the idea of having him take over as closer in 2011. Not sure I'd agree with the move, but it's the vibe I'm getting talking to people. We'll see.

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