No Halladay For Yankees

So the MLB non-waiver trading deadline has come and gone, and the Yankees did… nothing.  Wisely deciding not to trade their entire minor league system to Toronto for Roy Halladay, the Yanks head into the stretch with the same line-up they’ve been sporting all season.  Will it be enough?  It’s difficult to say.

Offensively it would be hard to improve on what they already have.  Second in the AL in team batting average and home runs, the Bombers sit at the top of the AL East, 2.5 games ahead of Boston.  Boston did add catcher Victor Martinez from the Indians, but with the circus that is the David Ortiz steroid story just getting underway, the Red Sox will be hard pressed to challenge for the wild card, let alone the division title.  The AL East is the Yanks to lose.  It’s hard to imagine them missing the playoffs this year.

Pitching, as it always is, will be the deciding factor.  Do the Yankees have enough?  Their top two starters, CC Sabathia (10-7) and AJ Burnett (10-4)? No worries there.  Number three, Joba Chamberlain (7-2)?  Fine. Number four,Andy Petitte (8-6)?  Well, here’s where things get a bit dodgy.  Pettitte appears to be showing his age a bit lately with an ERA of 4.51, he leads all Yankee pitchers in both Home Runs (12) and runs (71) given up.  Will he have enough left in October?  It’s a legitimate concern.

I’d write about the Yankees fifth starter, but honestly, the Yankees don’t have one.  Ever since Chin Mein Wang went down in flames at the start of the season the Yanks have been searching for that elusive number five.  Former untouchable Phil Hughes has been moved to the bullpen (where he rules!) and recent call-up Sergio Mitre is attempting to grab the spot.  The results have been mixed at best.

The Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox each boosted their pitching staffs with the additions of Jarrod Washburn and Jake Peavey respectively.  It would be foolish to count either of these teams out of the AL race.  There is also the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers to be concerned with.  Well, perhaps just the Angels… they’re Yankee killers!

So with 2 months to go and 3.5 solid starters, I brace myself for the stretch run and pray nobody gets hurt… or that Toronto GM JP Ricciardi comes to his senses and Halladay clears waivers (yeah, right).

You’re killing me, Cashman.