A Broken Bullpen In The Bronx

Chamberlain burst onto the major league
scene back in '07 postings 0.38 ERA.

At one point in his career Joba Chamberlain looked to be the air apparent to Mariano Rivera and would eventually close games for the New York Yankees. Oh how things have changed with Chamberlain now fighting for his major league career. A day after being placed on the 15-day disabled list with what was initially thought to be a strain of the flexor muscle in his throwing elbow, was revealed to be a torn ligament and could require Tommy John Surgery.

    With the injury to the hard-throwing right-hander, he is almost certainly lost for the rest of the season, leaving a gapping hole in Joe Girardi's bullpen. Originally thought to be a strength of this Yankee club, now becomes a weakness. Yes, they still have the godfather of closers in Rivera, but outside of the forty-one-year-old reliever and right-hander David Robertson there sits an abundance of question marks.

    When the Yankees were unable to sign prized left-hander Cliff Lee in the offseason, who would sign on for his second stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, Yankee brass went against general manager Brian Cashman and signed former Tampa Bay Rays closer Rafael Soriano to a three-year $35 million deal.

    Ownership felt with their longtime rivals in Boston making all sorts of offseason acquisitions, they needed to make a splash of their own and has not panned out.

    Soriano, who led the majors with 45 saves a year ago, last pitched on the 13th of May and has been sidelined since with an inflamed ligament in his right elbow. He and Chamberlain are just two on the laundry list of Yankees to land on the disabled list thus far.

    New York also signed former New York Mets left-hander and workhorse Pedro Feliciano in the offseason, but has yet to pitch in a regular season for the Yankees after suffering a torn rotator cuff during spring training. Feliciano led the National League in appearances each of the last three seasons, appearing total of 266 games for New York, by far the most in the majors during that time span.

    That is thought to be the main cause of his recent injury as his durability has been outstanding throughout his career.

   Another left-hander in Damaso Marte, who was a viable part to their 2009 World Series team, underwent rotator cuff surgery last October. He is currently on the 60-day disabled list with return expected to come sometime in September.

    That might be too late as the lone left-hander in the Yankee bullpen Boone Logan has struggled out of the gate after having a breakout season a year ago. Lefties are hitting a sensational .316 against the southpaw compared to right-handers, who are riding the Interstates at a .190 clip.

    Not to mention starter Phil Hughes has made only three starts for New York in 2011 posting a 13.94 earned run average. This after coming a year after his first All-Star appearance that saw him win a career-high eighteen games. Hughes has been sidelined since mid-April with a dead arm and is expected make his first of five rehab starts on June 14th.

    On the up side, Robertson has been spectacular for New York in his first 26 appearances, striking out 38 batters in only 23.1 innings. Veteran Luis Ayala has also been a pleasant surprise for Girardi and Co. posting a 1.47 ERA for the Yankees.

The Soriano signing has not bowed well for
New York thus far.

As for Rivera, well he is still Rivera. He has recorded 16 saves to begin the season, three off the major league lead.

If in fact Chamberlain does undergo surgery, he will began a grueling 10-14 month rehab process causing him not only to miss the rest of this season, but a portion of the '12 season. Cashman will look to be the market for relief help like most teams before the July 31st trading deadline and San Diego might be a gold mine.

    All-Star closer Heath Bell is in the final-year of his current contract with the Padres and almost certainly not returning to San Diego when he hits the open market this offseason. He along with his set-up men Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson could be prime targets for Cashman.

    Once under the "Joba Rules", question marks now surround Chamerlain's future along with the Yankees the rest of the way as they start the day a game back of the division leading Red Sox and are in danger of being swept by their arch rival for the second time this year in the Bronx.

A Roll Of The Dice

Matsuzaka showed signs of brilliance, but
was inconsistent for the Sox.

In November of 2006, the Boston Red Sox finally got the best of the Evil Empire outbidding the New York Yankees for Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka. New York on the other hand had to settle for second best, something they aren't accustom too, signing left-hander Kei Igawa to a five-year $20 million contract.

    Now almost five years later both Japanese imports look like a lost cause as Matsuzaka is set to undergo Tommy John Surgery, ending his season before it even got started.

  Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-Day disabled list back on the 18th of May, two days after what would be his final start of the year against the Baltimore Orioles, surrendering five runs and seven walks in only 4.1 innings. Originally diagnosed with a right elbow strain, it was later determined the right-hander would need season-ending elbow surgery and was transferred to the 60-Day DL Thursday.

    The Japanese import had a rough start to the 2011 season, allowing ten earned runs in his first two starts of the season in only 7 innings, accumulating to a 12.86 ERA. His next two starts, he would show signs of vintage Matsuzaka tossing 15 scoreless innings on only two hits, lowering his ERA to a respectable 3.81.

    That was only temporary as his final four starts were not good only making out of the fifth once. Matsuzaka finishes the year at 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA, leaving Red Sox Nation to wonder if he has thrown his final pitch in a Boston uniform?

    Most pitchers that undergo the Tommy John procedure average a year to a year and half recovery process before they have full healed, leaving Matsuzaka's future in doubt. The 2012 season will mark the final-year of a six-year $52 million contract Matsuzaka signed prior to the '07 season and with him sure to miss a good portion if not all of next season, he might have very well thrown his final pitch for Boston.

    Even though Matsuzaka was hampered by injuries the last three seasons, his time in Fenway was productive. In his first season with the Sox, Matsuzaka was 15-12, but proved to be vital part to them winning their second World Series title in a four-year span after sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the '07 Fall Classic.

    2008 would mark his best season with the Red Sox when he finished 18-3 with an ERA at 2.90. Opponents only hit .211 in '08 as he finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting. From there on it was down hill for "Dice-K", making five of six trips to the DL the last three seasons.

    In his five years with the Red Sox, Matsuzaka has gone 49-30 with a 4.25 ERA, only eclipsing the 200 innings and 200 strikeout plateaus once, both coming in his first year with Boston.

    Matsuzaka showed signs of being the dominant pitcher he was in the '06 & '09 World Baseball Classic, winning the MVP in both of Japan's run to the championship, but his stuff and so called "Gyroball" never quite translated in the major leagues.

Igawa might be the biggest bust of a signing by
New York since they signed Hideki Irabu.

As for the Yankees' Igawa, he has only made 16 appearances in the big leagues since signing with New York. His career ERA in the majors is the devil's 6.66 and was never to be heard from again, making his last major league appearance back in '08. Igawa is currently pitching for the Yankees Double-A affiliate Trenton Thunder.

    Matsuzaka is the second player to hear the bad news this week as the Kansas City Royals top highly touted prospect John Lamb will also require surgery to repair a ligament in his left elbow. The left-hander was the No. 5 prospect in the Royals unbelievable farm system and ranked 27th throughout Major League Baseball.

    With the success rate of the surgery being so high we have yet to see the last of Matsuzaka. The question remains what uniform will he be wearing. You can sure a major league club will roll the dice on the thirty-year-old right-hander.