Moose Officially Heads for Pasture
Submitted by Imaginary Diamond Blog
Thursday’s announcement made Ken Rosenthal’s first report official: Major League Baseball has seen The Moose take the mound for the very last time. Mike Mussina has ended speculation and put an end to one of the most underrated careers by a starting pitcher in recent memory.
Compiling 270 wins and a 3.68 career ERA, Mussina’s durability and consistency was matched by only a select few pitchers of this generation. With today’s five-man rotation, no pitcher will reach the 300 win plateau for a long time, and Mussina’s 270 will be tough to beat. Throw in Mussina’s 2008 season where he finally won 20 games, and his statistics warrant Hall of Fame consideration.
Mussina leaves a giant whole in the Yankees rotation by calling it a career. With Andy Pettite on the open market and Phil Hughes’ and Ian Kennedy’s futures uncertain, the Yankees have already made themselves big players in free agency and trade talks. Cashman is in talks with San Diego about Jake Peavy, and Hank Steinbrenner has his sights set on CC Sabathia. However, with this recent news, will a third high-priced pitcher don pinstripes in 2009?
The hot stove constantly sparks flames this time of year, some nothing more than mere rumor. However, the New York Post reports the Yankees are preparing an $80 million offer to free agent starter A.J. Burnett.
While the Yankees are relinquishing nearly $80 from their 2008 salary, signing multiple pitchers to contracts of this magnitude is irresponsible. The team’s middle relief was disastrous last season, and there were major problems defensively in the outfield. Investing $40 million in any two players, especially starting pitchers, is a poor investment.
While additions of Sabathia and Burnett would do wonders for the Bronx Bombers in the standings, the juice is not worth the squeeze.
