There has been so much attention focused on the Yankees failing to get Cliff Lee last July and then again in the offseason that it is easy to forget that they dabbled with the idea of obtaining Dan Haren last July, as well, and offered some frustration that Houston never made them fully aware that Roy Oswalt was available. Perhaps the Yankees should have tried harder to obtain Haren and pushed harder to keep track of what was going on with Oswalt.

Haren pitched a one-hitter against the Indians on Tuesday night. That moved him to 8-4 since joining the Angels last July with a 2.43 ERA. In his 17 starts, he has failed to complete six innings just one time – his debut with the Angels last July 26. Meanwhile, since joining the Phillies, Oswalt is 9-1 with a 1.81 ERA, which is the best ERA in the majors (minimum 50 innings) in that timeframe. Oswalt has pitched fewer than six innings just once in 14 starts for Philadelphia.

The Yankees did not pursue Haren or Oswalt the way they might have because they believed that even after failing to obtain Lee in a trade, that they would simply sign the lefty in the offseason as a free agent. But, with hindsight, you could see how if the Yankees obtained either of those pitchers in July 2010, they would have been better constructed for the 2010 playoffs and the 2011 regular season ((both have contracts that covered them for 2011; Oswalt has an option for 2012, Haren for 2013). In fact, friends of Andy Pettitte had said that the lefty would have come back this year if the Yankees had been able to sign Lee. So maybe he would have felt the same way if the Yankees had Haren and, especially, Oswalt, who is a pal of Pettitte’s from their time together with the Astros.

If the Yankees have Pettitte in tandem with either Haren or Oswalt, right now, they would be viewed as the no-questions-asked AL East favorite. Especially since both would have cost considerably less in dollars than Lee (Oswalt makes $16 million this year, Haren $12.75 million), which would have given the Yankees plenty of maneuverability to either sign Rafael Soriano in the offseason or use the money in some other fashion.

PA_Dan wrote:NY Post says that Amaro stuck it to the Yankees twice last year...

There has been so much attention focused on the Yankees failing to get Cliff Lee last July and then again in the offseason that it is easy to forget that they dabbled with the idea of obtaining Dan Haren last July, as well, and offered some frustration that Houston never made them fully aware that Roy Oswalt was available. Perhaps the Yankees should have tried harder to obtain Haren and pushed harder to keep track of what was going on with Oswalt.

Haren pitched a one-hitter against the Indians on Tuesday night. That moved him to 8-4 since joining the Angels last July with a 2.43 ERA. In his 17 starts, he has failed to complete six innings just one time – his debut with the Angels last July 26. Meanwhile, since joining the Phillies, Oswalt is 9-1 with a 1.81 ERA, which is the best ERA in the majors (minimum 50 innings) in that timeframe. Oswalt has pitched fewer than six innings just once in 14 starts for Philadelphia.

The Yankees did not pursue Haren or Oswalt the way they might have because they believed that even after failing to obtain Lee in a trade, that they would simply sign the lefty in the offseason as a free agent. But, with hindsight, you could see how if the Yankees obtained either of those pitchers in July 2010, they would have been better constructed for the 2010 playoffs and the 2011 regular season ((both have contracts that covered them for 2011; Oswalt has an option for 2012, Haren for 2013). In fact, friends of Andy Pettitte had said that the lefty would have come back this year if the Yankees had been able to sign Lee. So maybe he would have felt the same way if the Yankees had Haren and, especially, Oswalt, who is a pal of Pettitte’s from their time together with the Astros.

If the Yankees have Pettitte in tandem with either Haren or Oswalt, right now, they would be viewed as the no-questions-asked AL East favorite. Especially since both would have cost considerably less in dollars than Lee (Oswalt makes $16 million this year, Haren $12.75 million), which would have given the Yankees plenty of maneuverability to either sign Rafael Soriano in the offseason or use the money in some other fashion.

NY Post

lethal wrote:Madson's not coming back. His wife hates Philly. The anti-Kristin Lee.

http://nakedphiladelphian.blogspot.com/ ... cries.html

stevemc wrote:I smell a divorce. That will free Mad Dog to go bonkers in his computer room.

One of the biggest mysteries hanging over the Phillies' season is the future of Roy Oswalt. He's hinted he could retire (at age 33). Or he has the right to opt out of his $16 million option for next year. Either scenario would blow up 25 percent of the fabled Four Horsemen rotation. But what is Oswalt thinking? He'd never let on.

"He's happy as a lark," one longtime friend of Oswalt tells Rumblings. "But you never know with Roy. He's one of those guys who's liable to do exactly what you don't think he'll do. But I don't see him retiring. I'll tell you that. Not for at least two or three years. So I think he re-signs [with the Phillies]. I have a hard time believing they're going to let him walk."

Loyal reader Trent McCotter reports that...Cliff Lee became the first pitcher in at least 20 years to strike out 12 hitters in a game while throwing under 100 pitches. Pitch-count data for teams other than the Dodgers gets sketchy before the '90s. But the last pitcher known to do that in a complete game was Sandy Koufax, in a 97-pitch, 12-K no-hitter in 1964.

Soren wrote:Guess where Schilling/Carlton are

PA_Dan wrote:A couple of interesting tidbits in Stark's rumblings...

one longtime friend