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So I waited longer than usual to post today’s blog folks, but I wanted to make sure that I got the latest info to you….it has been reported that Andy is coming back to play in the new stadium, as he’s agreed to a 1-year deal for $6 million. There’s also another $6 million that he has a chance to earn in incentives (innings pitched), so he made out nicely. At least they didn’t go much above the $10 million they had originally proposed, so I can live with that - besides, Andy will be better than most back-end starters in baseball.

This begs to ask the question now - can they afford to stick Joba back in the bullpen? It’s a debate that could go on for months, and one that is generally split down the middle. You’re now looking at Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Chamberlain, Pettitte, and Hughes would be the 6th man (or spot starter). Depending on the health of the rotation and such, you could make a case that Hughes emerges as a major league talent (which I believe will happen), and then slots right in as the 5th starter. THEN you could afford to put Joba back in as a dominant 8th inning guy, and this team would truly be hard to deal with. I mean it already will be tough to beat, but many believe that Joba is too big a guy to withstand the hardship of being a starter - only time will tell. There have however been plenty of “big” starting pitchers in baseball, and he did start all the way through the minors up until being called up.

The other question of course is who will take over the closer role after Mo has called it quits? I know that it seems like he will pitch effectively forever, but that isn’t reality, so this needs to be taken into account with this whole Joba situation. Joba clearly has the stuff, mentality, and attitude to be a top-notch closer in this league, but there could be another option on the rise….Mark Melancon. If this kid can come up and perform the way some people think, then the closer question may be answered without having to move Joba anywhere. Either way, it makes for good sports-talk and I’m glad we have some more depth to work with in the rotation.

The next piece of news that is now all over the place is that Joe Torre has a book coming out about his years in the Bronx, but the uproar has been due to the fact that he took some “shots” at certain people. This of course is normally not the way Torre operates, but maybe he just wanted to set the record straight and make some money on the side while doing it. I think some things should probably be kept inside the locker room, but this kind of stuff happens all the time in sports. Yogi stayed away from the organization for years, but then came back and now can be found at every Yankee gathering. One day Torre will be back, and his #6 will most likely be retired out there in Monument Park. I just hope that this doesn’t disrupt the team or makes them lose focus (specifically A.R.), but by the time the season comes along everything should be OK.

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