Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

So what is the cure for this condition?  Apart from Hughes leaving the New York Yankees and finding success with a team that has enough outfield space to keep his gopher balls in the park, what is the solution?

Perhaps manager Joe Girardi should move him back to the bullpen. In 2009, Hughes was 8-3 there with an earned run average of 3.03, the lowest of his career. He struck out 96 batters in 86 innings, the best ratio of his career. He set the table very well for Mariano Rivera.

But the log- jam in the Yankees bullpen is like the line at the ticket window. There just isn’t any room, even if Hughes could adjust quickly to the move back. Besides, as a reliever, he would have an opportunity to blow a game every day, not just every four or five days.

So here is the cure. Don’t pitch him in Yankee Stadium. Better yet, don’t pitch him in any park that has measurements that favor the home run. Hughes has already given up 12 home runs in 58.2 innings in 2013. Last season, he allowed 35 in 191.1 innings.

And forget about comparing him to pitchers who find a way to win despite allowing homers. No disrespect intended, but Hughes is not CC Sabathia. He needs to fix this to win, and he knows it.

With Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, David Phelps and the eventual return of Michael Pineda, the Yankees could afford to hold Hughes out in stadiums that favor home runs. If Pineda doesn’t make it back, Vidal Nuno could get the start. To keep him in rhythm, let Hughes pitch a simulated game in the bullpen during his missed starts. Just don’t let him take the mound.

There you have it, the cure for the Phil Hughes blues.

May 1, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera (42) and catcher Chris Stewart (19) celebrate the win against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Yankees won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

In fact, the Yankees are barely scoring runs. Only against the Royals on May 10th have the Yankees scored at least eight runs in a contest during this month, and only two other times did the Bronx Bombers scored at least 6 runs. A majority of the wins in May have been decided by two runs or less, and all were in low scoring matchups. Of course, the Yankees don’t need to score 10 runs a game to win, but seeing a team that was so potent offensively last year (804 runs and 245 home runs in 2012) struggle is somewhat peculiar. While injuries definitely contribute to the dearth of runs, it seems that a rough pitching start could easily turn into a rough night for the whole team. The bottom line is that in May, the Yankees own a collective batting average of .237. That number must rise at least 20 points if the Yankees wish to remain atop the podium in a competitive AL East division.

Now let’s talk about the good stuff, shall we? As mentioned above, the Yankees have pitched outstandingly. The triumphant trio of C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Andy Pettitte has been terrific, compiling a 14-8 record each with ERAs under 4.00, even though Pettitte is DL-bound. The bullpen has been equally as brilliant, with Mariano Rivera converting all 16 save opportunities he has received. David Robertson has been dominant as the eighth inning man for the squad with a miniscule .177 batting average against and a 0.87 WHIP. Relievers Shawn Kelley, Preston Claiborne and Boone Logan have been a boon for the Yankees. Kelley’s high earned run average is deceiving, as his underlying statistics imply bad luck on the mound and not horrible pitching.

In addition to pitching well, the Yankees are fielding well too. Robinson Cano is fielding .994, and Lyle Overbay is doing his best Mark Teixeira impression with a .993 fielding percentage. Jayson Nix has played a satisfactory third base also, and even at the age of 39, Ichiro Suzuki has shown plenty of life on his throws with four outfield assists. The key to winning games is to prevent errors and minimize mistakes. The Yankees’ glovework has been very strong so far, and should continue to remain a strength going forward.

Overall, the Yankees have been solid in May. Andy Pettitte‘s injury does not help matters, but the starting rotation and the bullpen are strong enough to overcome his loss, for now. The batting has been mediocre, but it has been good enough to propel the Yankees this month. The fielding is fine, and possibly most important of all, the morale is high. A decent team with great chemistry will perform better than a great team with poor chemistry. Considering that the Yankees were only 21-18 at this point last year, the Yankees are in a very comfortable position for the beginning of summer.

1. Right-handed hitter

Now I’m generally not a big believer that a lineup needs to be perfectly balanced between left and right-handed hitters (as well as hitter types), so for me, this isn’t a huge factor. However, with Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki, and Brett Gardner, the Yankees would surely rather have a right-handed hitter to mitigate the effects of the pitching platoon.

2. Designated Hitter

To be clear, the fact that Morse is a bad defender is not a positive. The thing about the DH spot is that anyone can play it. The best defender in the game can be a DH. So it’s not as if Michael Morse is a good fit because he is a bad fielder, and the DH needs to be a bad fielder. He’s a good fit because good fielders cost more, and if they play at DH, that extra cost is wasted. The fact that Michael Morse is more of a DH-type than a full-time outfielder means that the Yankees won’t have to give up as much to get him.

Michael Morse’s bat could play very well in Yankee Stadium. But will the price be too steep? (Image: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

I want to take a moment to address Morse’s fielding. Many are calling him an outfielder, but I don’t think that should be the expectation if the Yankees are to trade for him. Since 2010, Morse’s UZR ratings have been -8.9, -13, and -6.5. However, that both includes his generally positive numbers at first base, and is based on a couple partial seasons. If we use UZR/150 [games] and just include his time in the outfield instead, his numbers are as follows:

That’s pretty bad. That’s Raul Ibanez bad. Maybe worse. And sure, Ibanez played in the outfield in 2012 due to Gardner’s injury, and he wasn’t a complete mess, but that might have been more luck than anything else. We can’t expect Morse to provide any value in the outfield, so he would really be limited to first base, to rest Mark Teixeira, and DH.

3. Only One Year Left

Normally, having only one year left on a contract is a negative. However, because the Yankees are trying to decrease their payroll for 2014, the fact that Morse will be a free agent after next season is a big positive. The Yankees want as little money tied to players for 2014 as possible. Morse could, theoretically, provide good value to the team in 2013, and then walk away after the season, his spot filled by a younger, cheaper, option.

I’m going to add one more factor to this list that I failed to mention before.

4. Has Power to the Opposite Field

Take a look at Morse’s career wRC+ (an all-encompassing stat where 100 is average) and Isolated Power to Left, Center, and Right:

Morse is actually a fantastic opposite-field hitter, which is perfect for a right-handed hitter at Yankee Stadium. Lefties hit 16% more home runs in New York than in the average field, which is mainly due to the short porch in right. Morse’s opposite field power can take advantage of that, making him a great fit for the Yankees.

Now, the big question, given all this, is cost. Unfortunately, I’m no insider, so I’m not sure what sort of package the Nationals are looking for. They reportedly want a left-handed reliever and/or prospects, but I’m not sure of what quality. Would a package of something like Boone Logan + Adam Warren do the trick? Possibly, but I have a feeling that the Nationals would want more than that.

Because of this uncertainty, I’m not sure if the Yankees should trade for Morse or not. However, if they could find a reasonable trade, such as the one I suggested above, Morse would be a perfect fit for their needs right now. He would give the offense a boost, keep the Yankees competitive for 2013, and not cost them any money in 2014 or beyond.