Kuzul

When the Yankees signed Pedro Feliciano over the winter, they were hoping for the strong effort he used to give the Mets in every performance.

The Yankees will have to wait at least a year for that, because it looks like Feliciano is done before he ever threw a pitch for the Yankees in 2011.

It was announced on Friday from an MRI that Feliciano has a torn capsule in his left shoulder, which will likely require arthroscopic surgery and a year of rehab, according to ESPN’s Mike Mazzeo.

Feliciano will get a second opinion from world famous surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama on Monday.

The Yankees signed Feliciano to a two-year deal for $8 million in the winter to be one of three potential left-handers in the bullpen for the Yankees.

Feliciano is now out for the season, Damaso Marte is out until the summer, which leaves Boone Logan as the lone lefty in the Yankees bullpen.

According to YES’s Jack Curry, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will look around for bullpen help, but as of right now, the market is very thin.

Last week, the Yankees already placed Luis Ayala on the DL with an injury and have brought up Hector Noesi from the minors.

Most of the bullpen duties will fall back onto Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson,  Rafael Soriano and Boone Logan with Marte and Ayala on the DL and Feliciano now likely out for the season.

The Yankees have even had starters Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia come out of the bullpen this season, and with Phil Hughes struggling with a lack of velocity, Kevin Millwood may be the next veteran coming up for the Yankees.

The loss of Feliciano is a tough one, especially since he did not get to throw a single pitch in the regular season for the Yankees. But you have to hope a year of rehab will bring Feliciano back and stronger.

You also have to wonder about the comments Cashman made earlier this month, saying the Mets abused Feliciano when he pitched for them, making 86, 88 and 92 relief appearances over the last three seasons.

Feliciano disagreed that he was overused, but felt hurt when Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said that one of the reasons they didn’t bring him back was because of the amount of innings pitched.

The injury to Feliciano was characterized by Cashman as the one Chien-Ming Wang had for the Yankees back in 2009, which ended his season and career with the Yankees.

Wang has yet to pitch in the majors since June of 2009 and continues to rehab his injury with the Washington Nationals.

Will Feliciano’s rehab take time to recover like Wang, or will he come back strong for the Yankees in 2012?

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Much was made of New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s comments regarding the Mets use of lefty reliever, Pedro Feliciano last season. Feliciano pitched nine seasons for the Mets from 2002-2010. This offseason, the Yankees signed Feliciano to a two-year, $8 million contract.

The Yankees recently had to put Feliciano on the 15-day DL due to a strained rotator cuff, an injury which Cashman blamed on the Mets.

“He was abused,” Cashman said. “Listen, I don’t know, the concern is based on the MRI. The use pattern was abusive, but the MRI itself shows what he’s got. And that leads us to believe all that is resolvable and that it’s not a major issue, just a timing issue.”

Last season, Feliciano made a league-high 92 appearances for the Mets. Over the past three seasons, Feliciano has made 266 relief appearances, the most in the majors.

When Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen was asked about Cashman’s comments, he was quick to fire back, and quite honestly, embarrassed Cashman.

“He volunteered for the baseball every day,” Warthen said. “He was asked whether he was able to pitch. He said ‘Yes’ every day. Every day. And wanted to pitch more than we even pitched him. So I feel badly that someone feels that way. But that was part of the reason that we decided not to re-sign him, because we knew we had used him 270-some times in the last three years.”

Now, I don’t believe Warthen when he says the number of innings he pitched was the reason the Mets didn’t resign Feliciano. In my opinion, it came down to money. The Mets didn’t have a lot to spend and $8 million is a lot of money when you’re as cash-strapped as the Mets.

But Warthen’s comments certainly point out the idiocy of Brian Cashman’s statements. He knew the stats, they were not secret. Yet he felt the two-year contract was the right move.

Not to mention Cashman’s track record of over used relief pitchers. But that’s beside the point.

Today, Feliciano threw his two cents into the conversation. He said Warthen’s comments hurt his feelings. He said that he chose to pitch for the Yankees because they offered him a two-year deal with a club option for a third year, which goes back to my opinion regarding why the Mets didn’t resign him.

But Feliciano also added that he’ll look to exact a measure of revenge from the Mets during the first Subway Series of the season (May 20-22 at Yankee Stadium).

“I will show [Warthen] in the Subway Series when I strike out Ike Davis. When I jump up and down on the mound, I’ll be like ‘That’s for you!'”

Well, Feliciano would have to get off the DL by then for that to happen.

Regardless, the Mets let Feliciano pitch when he said he was able to pitch. I don’t recall anyone poking Feliciano with a stick to get him out of the bullpen. To his credit, Feliciano defended how the Mets used him in his statements, so obviously Feliciano doesn’t agree with Cashman.

We’ll see what happens when the Mets and the Yankees meet next month.

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Now that the Cliff and Andy questions have both been answered and put to rest, the biggest immediate concern across Yankee Universe going into spring training appears to be the two big question marks in the back end of our starting rotation.

How crucial is the back end of the rotation to a successful season for us?

Not as much as some might think. Certainly not as crucial as a kevlar bullpen, which we now have.

Hard as it may be for some to recollect it, the 2009 world champion Yankees wound up running their back end rotation by committee to a great extent, much as this year’s team appears about to do.

And it worked beautifully.

Just compare the contributions of the team’s pitching staffs over the last two seasons to see exactly where our wins came from—throwing out the games pitched by the rosters’ No. 4 and 5 starters—and you may take  greater comfort from the moves our Bombers made and didn’t make this offseason.

In 2009, a championship season, the Yankees’ top three starters—Sabathia, Pettitte and Burnett—combined for 46 wins while our bullpen accounted for 40 wins, the most in MLB.

In 2010, a year the team fell a little short of their objective, the team’s top three starters—Sabathia, Hughes and Pettitte—combined for 50 wins while our bullpen, though improving its ERA by nearly a half run, produced just 23 wins.

Since the Yankees led all MLB teams in scoring both years, run support can be safely ruled out as a variable.

So, to summarize, our 2009 front-end arms and bullpen combined for 86 wins without the help of our No. 4 and 5 starters. 

Our 2010 front-end arms—with four more victories to their credit—combined with our bullpen to produce just 73.

That’s a 13-loss differential year over year right there.

The impact of those 2009 bullpen wins becomes even more pronounced when you consider 2009’s championship-winning rotation back-enders Joba Chamberlain and Sergio Mitre combined for a mere 12 wins while last season’s backenders  AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez combined for 20.

Those eight additional victories by 2010’s No. 4 and 5 starters still didn’t make up for the sharp reduction in our bullpen wins.

Put another way, bullpen wins could have easily been the difference between the Yankees winning the AL East or losing it last season—and, consequently, home field advantage in the playoffs.

The point?

Cliff Lee and his maybe 12 to 15 wins would’ve been helpful, no question. And Andy’s return would maybe have provided 11 to 14 wins. 

Maybe, that is, if both managed to stay healthy; hardly a lock for either of them.

No, what we truly needed a whole lot more than either of them this winter was to bulk up our bullpen into a bona fide scary no-man’s land for opposing hitters.

Mission accomplished.

Consider the Yankees’ penchant for long early inning at-bats and late scoring outbreaks, so much so they led MLB  in comeback wins last season with 48.

How many more of those late rallies came up just short due to that shaky bridge from the sixth inning to the ninth?

Now, that’s a bridge to nowhere for our opponents.

Am I saying back-end starters are a nonfactor? Of course not.

I am saying, however, that they’re just not as big a factor as a nasty shutdown door-slamming pen; especially in the case of the Yankees and their present configuration.

By the numbers, at least over the past two seasons, the Yankee bullpen has proved to be a more significant  force in putting up W’s—and not just saving or holding leads—than our back end starters.

Certainly in 2009 it was the difference between winning a championship and just coming close, and possibly the difference between just coming close and no championship this past season.

Of course, I’d love to see Brian Cashman and the Boss’s boys pull off a blockbuster trade for a Type-A starter in the coming weeks and months. And there’s no reason to believe they won’t.

When they do, it’ll be Christmas in July.

In the meantime, though, there are plenty of young and old committee members coming to camp to fill the back end rotation picture out, and plenty to celebrate and anticipate come Opening Day.

You’ve got to believe the Yankees’ front office was thinking about more than just shortening tough outings for a couple of mystery guests in the rotation when they snapped up Rafael Soriano and lefty Pedro Feliciano this offseason. 

The way the former’s contract is structured with opt-outs, it sure wasn’t designed to lock up Big Mo’s successor.

These guys aren’t consolation prizes. They’re key pieces in a proven strategy to win now.

Their additions leverage virtually every member of our relief corps into specific roles in which they can excel, and provide Joe Girardi with multiple options and a path to a win through any lineup, as long as our own lineup keeps scoring like it has.

We may be shy a couple of name brand back-end starters at the moment.

But no serious evaluation of the coming season should allow those relatively minor vacancies to overshadow the direct and major impact this bullpen is going to make in our win column this year with the rotation and lineup we’ve already got.

The pen is truly mightier.

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On the mound:

The Yankees will be fine without Cliff Lee. The Yankees don’t NEED Cliff Lee. Would they have liked to have signed him? Of course. Who wouldn’t have? Having C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, a young 19-game winner in Phil Hughes and possibly Andy Pettitte should be enough for the Yanks. They have a young pitcher in Ivan Nova who, if he fixes his sixth inning troubles, should be a solid pitcher.

And if Pettitte doesn’t come back, which seems to be the case, there are a few options for filling his spot in the rotation. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, “If spring arrived today, New York would head into camp with a group of largely unpredictable candidates to round out the rotation, headlined by Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre and followed by less likely choices among Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, Hector Noesi and Manny Banuelos.”

Basically, the Yankees will go on with their plans without Pettitte. With the acquisition of Luis Vizciano looking to be a mistake in the making, fans need to remember that he only signed a minor league deal. No big deal. Speaking of minor league deals, the signing of former Cubs ace Mark Prior seemed to be a shock to a lot of Yankee fans. The signing of Pedro Feliciano looks like a good move, seeing as the Yankees were a bit desperate for a southpaw in the ‘pen. As a Mets reliever in 2010, Feliciano posted a 3.30 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 62.2 innings.

Off the mound:

The acquisition of catcher Russell Martin could be considered a good signing. Martin is a good defensive catcher, which the Yankees are desperate for with the lack of defense and power in Francisco Cervelli and with Jorge Posada moving to the full-time DH position. Martin had a 39 percent caught stealing percentage, as opposed to Cervelli’s 14 percent.

Martin’s defense behind the plate is a positive. But another thing the Yankees can look forward to is the two catching prospects in Austin Romine and Jesus Montero. Two guys that Yankee fans have been waiting, some say too long, to see. GM Brian Cashman is pretty much certain he will not give up Montero for anything.

Austin Romine’s 2010 numbers in Trenton: .268 BA, .726 OPS, 122 H, 31 2B in 115 games. Montero’s 2010 numbers in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: .289 AVG, .870 OPS, 131 H, 34 2B (third in the IL), 21 HR (fourth in IL) in 123 games.

The Yankees missing out on Carl Crawford isn’t a terrible loss, either. Brett Gardner has the talent. They both had 47 SB in 2010. Gardner matches Crawford’s speed. No doubt. But Crawford’s bat is a little better. Gardner is better at working the count and taking pitches than Crawford. Gardner had 79 walks to Crawford’s 46.

Just because the Yankees didn’t make big deals like they did in 2009 doesn’t mean it’s going to be an unsuccessful season. There is no need to panic, Yankee fans. They have the talent. You can’t get a Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett trio every offseason. The Yankees need to get another “core.” Say Cano, Gardner, Nova, Russo, Montero, Golson, Banuelos, Cervelli, Nunez, etc…? Take your pick. Unfortunately, the only “mistake” they seemed to have made this offseason was to put all their eggs in the Lee basket. But don’t count them out of next season. The Yankees will be fine. They are the Yankees after all.

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After the New York Mets non-tendered Sean Green earlier this month, it was only a matter of time before a team gobbled him up for the potential ‘relief’ he could offer.

The time has come, and that team is the Milwaukee Brewers, who are looking to reload this off season to have a productive 2011.

This is fine and dandy to us Mets fans because honestly, Sean Green wasn’t all he was hyped up to be. After acquiring Green in the trade that also sent underperforming reliever J.J. Putz to the Mets, Green only appeared in 11 games in 2010, managing eight walks in 9.1 innings of work.

That’s not to say he was a total wash as a Met, striking out 54 batters in 69.2 innings in 2009, but with his strained rib muscles moving north to Milwaukee for $875,000 this year, it’s easy to agree that the Mets made an easy addition by subtraction transaction.

With an already unstable bullpen heading into the 2011 season, the Mets should have used every reliable resource available, but Green was far from reliable, and once again the Mets are on the lookout for bullpen arms.

One name said to top GM Sandy Alderson’s list of relievers is lefty Joe Beimel.

Beimel is the Mets’ primary target to replace the holes left by Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi and has been admired in the organization as the lefty-specialist the Mets need in the left-handed bat-heavy NL East.

Of course, with the Mets’ financial woes this off-season, Beimel will have to come cheap. Both Feliciano and lefty Randy Choate signed deals this off-season that has them making $1 million+ over two years, and Beimel is probably looking for right around the same amount.

One could gather, as free agency continues and spring training draws nearer, that Beimel will settle for a deal somewhere around one million for one year. A pretty respectable deal for a one and done type pitcher, but that’s just my thought.

With the likes of relief pitchers J.C. Romero, Hideki Okajima, Will Ohman, Ron Mahay, Dennys Reyes, and Mark Hendrickson remaining on the open market, the Mets still have ample opportunity to bolster their bullpen for 2011. 

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Reliever Pedro Feliciano is staying put in New York, but he will be sporting a different uniform.

The life-long Met is leaving Queens to bring his talents to the Yankees. 

Feliciano is a 34-year-old lefty who inked an $8 million, two-year contract with an option for a third, to come over to the Bronx. Fans get the reassurance that GM Brian Cashman is doing his job, as this is a huge boost to counterpart Boone Logan in the bullpen.

Other than having a rubber arm (meaning it never tires), Feliciano satisfies a big hole in the Yankee bullpen against lefty hitters, an area the Red Sox loaded up on this offseason.

Over his eight years in the majors, Feliciano has a career ERA of 3.31. He set the Mets franchise record and led the NL for most relief appearances in a season, with 86 games in 2008, 88 games in 2009 and 92 games in 2010.

Last season, Feliciano pitched for 62.2 innings, allowing just one home run and striking out 56 of the 280 batters he faced. He kept lefties hitting just .211, which will make him a difference-maker in the seventh and eighth innings.

Nicknamed “Everyday Pedro,” as in 2010 he pitched back-to-back days 43 times without rest.

Feliciano was described by Mets Today writer Joe Janish as, “a valuable asset to a championship club in need of one final bullpen piece.”

I’ll take that; the Yankees will happily take that; and hopefully 2011 will be that year for Feliciano.

As to how Feliciano will handle playing in the Bronx?

Same lights, different borough…my bet is he will be just fine.

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Next season Pedro Feliciano will be making the short trip to the Yankees from the New York Mets. The 34-year-old lefty relief pitcher will join what is already a star-studded pitching staff.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Yankees will finalize the contract today that would bring Feliciano to the Yankees for two years with a contract worth $8 million and an option for the 2013 season if the Yankees choose to keep the left-hander.

Here is what Pedro Feliciano will contribute to the Yankees this season.

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Sure, the New York Yankees had already signed a pitcher in Mark Prior, however let’s not count that. The Prior deal is a minor league contract. After losing out on Cliff Lee, the Yankees appeared as though they would focus on improving their bullpen.

Signing Pedro Feliciano is a step in the right direction. Left-handed batters hit just .211 against the left-handed pitcher last season when Feliciano was a member of the New York Mets bullpen.

The 34 year old did not allow a home run in 139 matchups against left-handed batters. The Yankees needed a reliever that could come out of the bullpen and get a tough lefty out. With the Boston Red Sox having lefties David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in their lineup, Feliciano should be very important for New York.

Feliciano led the National League in appearances the past three seasons, all with the Mets. The durable pitcher finished the 2010 season with a 3.30 ERA in 62 2/3 innings.

Continue this article on Double G Sports.

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The Philadelphia Phillies are a great team with very little flaws.

After losing to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 NLCS, Phillies fans were devastated on what happened.

They sat in the stands, at their homes, or at the local bar in shock and could not believe the defeat they faced.

Well, now we are entering the 2011 MLB season and we as Phillies fans must put the past behind us. We must try and make ourselves a better team for the near future.

As I said earlier, the Phillies have very little flaws. On paper, our only weakness is the bullpen.

Lucky for us, the 2011 free agent list is infested with relievers.

The majority of our entire pitching staff are right handers, so I think we should focus on hauling in lefties to make our staff more dynamic.

Ruben Amaro Jr. has proved he can be successful in the business of baseball and I have faith in him again.

Without a due, I give you 10 free agent relievers that the Phillies and Ruben Amaro Jr. will try to grab off of the free agent wire.

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The New York Mets and free-agent reliever D.J. Carrasco have agreed to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

The deal is pending a physical, but it will more than likely transpire.

Carrasco was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks last week and was rumored to have six to eight teams looking to acquire his services, but it was the Mets who prevailed and signed the right-handed reliever.

With the loss of Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi, the Mets bullpen is in serious shambles. Carrasco’s presence will certainly help bridge the gap from starter to Francisco Rodriguez, but more help will be needed.

Carrasco posted a 3.68 ERA, 7.5 K/9 innings and a 47.5 percent ground ball rate split between the Pirates and D-Backs, all stats looking to translate well into spacious Citi Field. 

From what has been made public, he is an interesting pitcher to watch that reminds fans of former Met, Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez. He switches up his delivery for different pitches and is creative at finding ways to change his motion and life on his pitches.

Carrasco is also said to have a rubber arm and he has no problem pitching many innings or deep into games—something the Mets will look to use.

Overall, with the pick up of Carrasco and Ronny Paulino as Josh Thole’s back up during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Mets GM Sandy Alderson seems to be making a “splash”in his own old school way. 

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