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February 28, 2013

Rumor Roundup

Depth Chart Woes

by Will Woods

Welcome one and all to my first Mets-less iteration of the Rumor Roundup! Today we’ve got two injuries that illuminate each team’s lack of depth, one starter that may be on the move, and a heartwarming return to the mound to top it all off. Onward…

Phil Hughes Could Miss the Start of the Season; Damon Rebuffed by Yankees
Phil Hughes was shut down February 18 with a bulging disc, and according to manager Joe Girardi, the righty is still about two weeks away from making his spring debut. Needing at least four starts to be ready for the start of the season, Hughes would have to meet that two-week deadline to make his first start on time.

The talk from Hughes indicates the injury isn’t too serious, but fanning the flames somewhat is the controversy du jour in Yankee camp: per George King, Joba Chamberlain wants to be a starter again, but also says he’d be fine with closing. However, according to manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman, it ain’t gonna happen—Cashman’s fantastic response: “We are also down an outfield bat right now. See if he can play center.” Should Hughes suffer a setback, however, the Yankees may want to consider changing their tune rather than turning to David Phelps (whom they clearly don’t trust) or handing the fourth spot to Ivan Nova (who doesn’t seem to deserve so much trust).

Elsewhere in Yankeeland, I suppose you have to give Johnny Damon credit for being the guy who would’ve been most surprised if the Yankees had wanted to bring him in to replace the injured Curtis Granderson. But that didn’t stop him from submitting his CV; in a follow-up to Dan Rathman’s post on Monday, Cashman called Damon a “great Yankee” but, per Mark Feinsand at the Daily News, flatly denied any interest in signing him in Granderson’s absence.

Cashman went on to say, “It’s the same reason we didn’t bring him in last year. We need somebody who can play the outfield every day.” Then again, the Yankees signed Raul Ibanez last year. That Cashman cited defensive ability in choosing Ibanez over Damon may be telling of what most of us are probably thinking, that Damon just can’t be a big-league regular anymore. Interestingly, though, neither the Daily News story (linked above) nor any other story I found on the subject even mentioned the word “retirement.”

And why should Damon retire? He was 3-for-7 in World Baseball Classic Qualification for Thailand. What more does the guy have to do?