SONNY FORECAST
Look out, American League! Yankees closing in on possible deal for A’s righty
The timeline has changed now. This season can’t be looked at as merely a nice little surprise that came ahead of schedule for the rebuilding Yankees, setting the stage for the future, no matter how it turns out.
You think the Nationals wouldn’t take a do-over on shutting Stephen Strasburg down for the 2012 postseason, sure at the time that their future would provide plenty of October success?
That doesn’t mean Brian Cashman should give Billy Beane whatever he wants for Sonny Gray — who now looks destined for the Bronx — because the future is obviously very bright here for the Yankees.
But it does mean he should be willing to give a little more, in terms of prospects, than he would have just a few weeks ago, to get a starting pitcher, whether it’s Gray or even a rental like the Cardinals’ Lance Lynn if things don’t work out with the A’s.
Because more and more it looks like the Yankees might just be one solid starter away from being on a path to win the AL East — and not just because the Red Sox have some major problems these days, on and off the field.
No, it’s because the Yankees are flying again, stretching their winning streak to six games at the Stadium on Saturday with a 5-4 victory over the Rays that was a testament to the one trade Cashman has already made, as the beefed-up bullpen pitched 5.2 innings in relief of rookie Caleb Smith.
Of course, it was also a commentary on the need for that one more starting pitcher, as they continue to look for someone to fill that fifth spot. Smith isn’t ready, Luis Cessa has already had his shot, and the Yankees don’t see Chance Adams as a savior anytime soon.
The beefed-up bullpen allows them to overcome the need on days like this, even if Joe Girardi made the case that it wasn’t so much a lack of faith in Smith that prompted him to pull the lefty in the fourth inning, trailing 2-1, as it was his alternatives.
“I knew I had a loaded bullpen,’’ was the way Girardi put it, “so I took advantage of it. I knew I had some guys rested, and our bullpen is really, really strong now. It’s what we can do on certain days.”
The pen wasn’t perfect, as Adam Warren and David Robertson gave up solo home runs, but it was plenty good as Girardi used five relievers, taking advantage of the depth that the trade for Robertson and Tommy Kahnle has given him.
No team in baseball has the Yankees’ bullpen depth, and no less important is the flexibility and the apparent willingness to buy in for the cause.
On Saturday, for example, Girardi brought in Warren in the fourth inning as something of a long man, and that was four days after he used him in the eighth inning to bail Dellin Betances out of a rough outing against the Reds.
Meanwhile, there was Betances, the four-time All-Star, in the sixth inning on Saturday because Girardi wanted him for the middle of the Rays’ lineup.
As such, this is starting to look a bit like what the Indians did last year, when Terry Francona used Andrew Miller as his middle-inning wild card, especially in the postseason, to shut teams down and change the feel of games.
It works as long as relievers don’t have an ego about when they pitch, which is not always the case.
“Joe and I have communicated,’’ Betances said Saturday. “I told him I’ll do whatever he needs. It caught me a little by surprise today, but I knew it would be that inning or the
next one.
“Obviously with that trade Cashman made, our bullpen is very deep. It just changes everything for us. It changed the feel in the clubhouse too.”
Most importantly it helped stop the bleeding, plugging the bullpen leaks that triggered the Yankees’ 1022 slump, and from there it has given this team the feeling it has a real shot at doing something big.
After all, even with an injuryriddled starting rotation, the Indians rode their killer bullpen all the way to Game 7 of the World Series last year. If these Yankees get to October, the pen could have a similar effect.
All the more so now, by the way, because Aroldis Chapman is back to overmatching hitters with his fastball, reaching 103 mph on the Stadium radar gun — 104 on the YES gun — in a dominant ninth inning.
Indeed, the pieces seem to be falling into place again. You couldn’t help but feel that on a day when Chase Headley delivered a huge home run as a pinch-hitter. Yet there’s also an obvious piece missing. It’s a long way to October and no matter how deep the bullpen is, Girardi can only push it so far. Simply put, the Yankees need another proven starter for the stretch run, and by now they should have convinced Cashman this team is worth another significant investment.
Even if it’s a year ahead of schedule.