A Look Ahead: Pitchers

With the season passed the halfway point now, the needs of teams become apparent. Now most contenders look to the MLB Trade Deadline on July 31st to solve there needs, but I'd like to give you a look ahead to the off-season. Please note that these forecasts could change depending on trades made by the Yankees or other clubs.

Starting Pitching:

The options: Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jason Marquis, Brett Myers, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, Joel Pineiro, Jarrod Washburn, Roy Halladay.

All of the pitchers above are viable options for the Yankees. The club will have 1 or (barring a Chien-Ming Wang comeback) 2 open spots in their rotation. Andy Pettitte sort of holds one of those spots as he would probably receive a contract offer if he doesn't retire at the end of the year. If Chien-Ming Wang (or a Yankee prospect like Zach McAllister) can pitch effectively, they could also receive a spot. However, I would expect there to be at least one open spot for the Yankees to bring in another starter.

The most likely candidates would seem to be Duchscherer, Marquis, or Washburn, but don't rule out the others. The Yankees are already scouting the A's as they look at Duchscherer and Matt Holliday (more about him later) for a possible trade. He seems a good candidate as he's young and can keep the ball down and in the park. The deciding factor will be if he can remain healthy or not.

I think Marquis would be a good pickup, however, I'm not sure the Yankees will pull the trigger. He's more of a fly ball pitcher, which doesn't go well in the new stadium. Plus something tells me they're more likely to go after some of the bigger names.

Next up is Washburn. At 35, Washburn might be a bit old, but he's also putting up some terrific numbers in Seattle. His 2.87 ERA is no joke, and if the M's don't trade him this summer, he could wind up in the Bronx.

Some of the other big names on the list the Yankees could avoid for other reasons. Josh Beckett could be a free agent, but the Red Sox will most likely lock him up. Same goes for John Lackey and the Halos. It's a little different with Rich Harden and Erik Bedard, both of which you would never feel comfortable giving a large contract do to their poor health histories. Cliff Lee's Cy Young season is probably well behind him and I don't think Brad Penny or Brett Myers's personalities would fit in the Bronx.

The one other name on the list is Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro. After a tough start to the season, Pineiro has really rebounded nicely. He's a sinker-ball pitcher, which could bode well in the Bronx Bomb-Zone and I think the Yanks could make a run for him.

Finally Roy Halladay. I'm kind of tired of rumors about him but basically, I don't think the Jays will be trading him to the Bronx any time soon.

Relief Pitching:

The options: Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Fernando Rodney, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner, Chad Qualls, Huston Street, Dannys Baez.

The Yanks would love to have any of these pitchers on their roster. If they were able to sign one of them, they could send them to the 8th inning and move Phil Hughes back into the starting role.

They could sign a LHP like Wagner or Gonzalez to replace the unfortunate Damaso Marte. Or they could acquire someone like Chad Qualls or Huston Street through a trade. If young guys like Hughes, Robertson, and Melancon step up then they could stick with them.

The Yankees really have a lot of options when it comes to the bullpen this offseason.