THE Yankees obtained a reliever and a lefty hitter in a trade yesterday, yet still need at least one reliever and might possibly still need a lefty bat.
No knock on GM Brian Cashman’s objective – improve where you can at as little cost in money and prospects as possible. And the Yanks did upgrade by getting Dan Miceli and Karim Garcia. But that says a lot more about whom they will replace – Mike Thurman and Charles Gipson – than Miceli and Garcia.
The Yanks’ actual target was Miceli. Knowing the Indians wanted to reduce payroll and clear an outfielder to bring up more prospects, Cashman offered to also take either Garcia or Shane Spencer as long as he did not have to deal a worthy prospect. And the Yanks might actually not be giving up a player at all since they took the dollars (about $645,000 left in contracts).
The Yanks can hope Garcia and Miceli have the kind of quick, unexpected impact Ruben Sierra has provided after his low-level acquisition three weeks ago. But any Yankee fan – or executive – who thinks this solves what ails the Yanks, particularly in the pen, is wrong.
To this point, Miceli is best known for helping to get John Boles fired as Florida manager in 2001, when he raged Boles had lost the players’ respect because he has never played professionally. Neither has Carlos Tosca, who has the Blue Jays playing great this year. And, really, should a guy up to his eighth organization be making such comments?
Miceli has been susceptible to homers and poor against lefties during his career. Thus, he answers neither of the Yanks’ big shortcomings, a main set-up man for Mariano Rivera or a reliever who can subdue lefty hitters.
With the state of their bullpen, the Yanks’ most indispensable player now is Mariano Rivera. Thus, in trying to find an eighth-inning reliever, the Yanks should be thinking about pitchers they believe can close such as Ugueth Urbina, Jose Jimenez or Braden Looper. And it is obvious now Chris Hammond is not a lefty specialist and the guy the Yanks had been most linked with, Cincinnati’s Gabe White, is now on the DL (groin). Thus, the Yanks should be looking into southpaws such as Arizona’s Mike Myers, Cincinnati’s Felix Heredia, Texas’ Aaron Fultz, St. Louis’ Steve Kline and possibly even San Diego’s Jesse Orosco.
Garcia is a better option than Gipson, whose specialty seemed to be getting picked off. But Garcia has had one good stretch in his career, ironically after the Yanks waived him last season and he had a superb 53-game run with the Indians (52 RBIs). This year, though, he has reverted to his familiar inconsequential status – or worse.
Nevertheless, the Yanks probably will not need a lefty bat such as Carlos Beltran or Brian Giles (they are not interested in Larry Walker). If Nick Johnson and Bernie Williams return from the DL in July, the Yanks will have the AL’s best offense in the second half. If not, well, George Steinbrenner always wants to add a slugger even in the best of times.
Still, the Yanks must preserve their prospect bullets. In case Rivera goes down. Or if their aging rotation loses a key member. The Yanks did not trade a prospect yesterday. On the other hand, they probably got what they paid for.
