Just when the fans had gotten used to a quiet offseason, Brian Cashman and his Yankees did what they do best, pull off a blockbuster move to upstage any team thought to have the best offseason (here's looking at you, Angels). How could anyone think that the Yankees could stay quiet for an entire offseason. Last year, after being stood up by Cliff Lee, the Yankees threw money at Rafael Soriano. This year, the Bombers decided to bide their time, and when least expected, added All-Star talent to their roster, that few even knew was available. Many fans will berate the Yanks for letting Montero go, but for me it's sayonara Jose. Don't get me wrong, the kid is electric to watch, but he is only half of a player. I'm not even sure if Montero ever picked up a glove before the minor leagues. Quite frankly, the Yankees have enough players who struggle with the glove, and they can't afford to fill the dh spot with the amount of aging players on their roster. Now with the acquisition of Pineda, the Yankees address the pitching rotation, without surrendering too much; furthermore, the Yankees receive an extremely cheap talent in Pineda, who will receive less than one million bucks this year. Here's the kicker, the Yankees also signed Hiroki Kuroda for $10 million. Now Cashman has gotten the Yankees an outstanding 22 year old, and also the pitcher that Cashman really wanted, for cheap too. Not an $80 million dollar mess that Edwin Jackson would have commanded. Besides the Yankees have enough AJ Burnett's to even consider adding Jackson. But the addition of the 2 starting pitchers creates a new problem for the Yankees, too much starting pitching. With Sabathia, Pineda, Nova, Kuroda, Hughes, Burnett, and Garcia, the Yankees have a plethora of starting pitching. What to do? Well first, the Yankees can take Burnett out back and shoot him. At this point the Yankees have a better chance of winning with a slow pitch softball machine, because shit, at least the machine is consistent. Next the Yankees can move Hughes to the bullpen. Remember 2009? Well 2012 could look sweeter with a Soriano-Hughes/Robertson-Rivera end of the game. Shutdown 'pen. At this point I'd take Phil Hughes the reliever over Hughes the starter, he definitely impacts the Yankees more positively in the former. And in actuality, Burnett and Garcia are a good combination to have compete for the 5th spot. Burnett might even win a few games with that atrocious era he throws up every year.
