Yankees Editorial: The Bullpen IS The Weapon

In the past, the New York Yankees haven’t exactly had managers who know how to quite handle a bullpen. From Billy Martin to Hall of Famer Joe Torre, arms were burned up and disposed of faster than bags of sunflower seeds and chewing tobacco. The bullpen is a useful tool to helping a team be successful, as well as shortening a game when you have lock down, power arms that a manager can go to on a consistent basis.

But, if a manager such as Torre, gets careless, what could be viewed as a strength now becomes a daily nightmare, as worn out arms, injured players and the like, lead to Triple-A to the Bronx shuttles, with less than adequate arms as ample replacements for their major league counterparts. Don’t believe me? See 2014 and 2013. Stiffs all around. I won’t go into the countless names, but let’s just say we’ve all seen enough.

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Mariano Rivera is gone. We know that. David Robertson was allowed to leave, and it’s no big deal. Not when the Yankees signed Andrew Miller, and traded for what seems like every young power arm that became available via trade this winter. Did I mention Dellin Betances is returning from a stellar rookie season in 2014? Jacob Lindgren anyone? David Carpenter? You get my point. With the Yankees rotation full of questions in terms of health and quality innings, even though Joe Girardi is going to have arguably his greatest bullpen ever at his disposal, too many appearances early on in the season by say, June or July, and it will spell the end of the Yankees season, even before the All-Star break.

For once, Girardi is going to have to use some common sense, not just what the binder tells him to do. Adam Warren and Andrew Bailey provide solid depth, among others, but again, if Cashman has to dip into the Scranton or Trenton pool for young arms, plan on a very long summer in the Bronx Yankees’ fans, because it most likely means the rotation has fallen apart, or they are ineffective, and the cadre of young power arms are being leaned on more than they ever should be, in an attempt to salvage a sinking ship in the Bronx.

Next: What Role Will Andrew Bailey Play In The Bullpen In 2015?

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