Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
Benitez to the Yankees

New York Yankees get: Armando Benitez.
New York Mets get: Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia, Ryan Bicondoa.

I'm a little bit torn on this one. I strongly dislike Armando Benitez, both for his actions (specifically against the Yankees, most notably his drilling of Tino Martinez in 1998) and his mostly deserved reputation of pitching poorly in big games. He's failed spectacularly on several high-profile occasions (especially in the postseason), and he's not a guy I'd ever want pitching in a big spot if I could avoid it. That said, he throws extremely hard, is an intimidating presence coming out of the pen late in a game, and goes through periods where he's very effective. For those positive reasons, I assumed that there would be a substantial market for his services over the final few months of the season, as there will undoubtedly be when he becomes a free agent following the World Series, and that the price to pry him from the Mets would be a high one.

Looking at all he brings to the table, I was really hoping he'd end up in Boston. The Red Sox would have to give up some of what little minor league/young talent they possess, and they'd only get a inconsistent short reliever in return, and one who the Yankees have handled very well in the past. When I heard that the Yanks were seriously considering acquiring Benitez themselves, I was naturally concerned...mostly because of the cost I assumed would be necessary to get him from the Mets, who aren't known for doing their crosstown rivals any favors. I heard names like Brandon Claussen and Nick Johnson bandied about, guys who definitely aren't worth parting ways with for three and a half months (I hope) of Benitez.

Of course, this is a very different deal than one involving those guys would have been. Jason Anderson has been a good minor league pitcher, but hasn't been met with a tremendous amount of success at the major league level this year, when he's had a real chance to establish himself as a contributor on a contending team. I hear he's going to be assigned to AAA Norfolk by the Mets and used as a starter, and maybe he'll succeed in that role and be a factor for the Mets down the road. The fact of the matter is that Jason Anderson was never going to get a real opportunity to be used that way in the Yankee organization, and the team needs bullpen help now, not later. If he's an asset in a year or two for the Mets, I think the Yankees can live with that...Benitez, as much as so many of us in New York hate him, is a huge addition to the Yankee bullpen right now.

I really don't know much about either Anderson Garcia (who I hadn't heard of) or Ryan Bicondoa (who I had, but only because the Yanks signed him last year), but neither are big-time prospects. If Jim Duquette is able to unearth something in either of them, more power to him...but at this point, they're not much more than filler in a deal that is really Benitez for Anderson and two arms. Garcia throws hard and has posted good numbers thus far, but he's 22 (not that he's too old to progress and contribute just yet) and playing in low-A ball. Bicondoa is older (24) and has had a disappointing year at high-A Tampa after a nice season with the Staten Island Yankees in 2002. I guess it's nice to have young pitchers in your system, and if you accumulate enough, some are bound to work out...but both are a long way from contributing at Shea.

It's easy to be bummed about this from a Yankee fan's perspective, because we hate Benitez. He hurt our Tino, acted like a baby about it, and has failed against us in big spots. But the Tino incident is now six years ago, and the bullpen badly needs help now. Jason Anderson wasn't going to be the solution, and while parts like Dan Miceli are adequate as back end guys, it's not good to have to rely on them in higher leverage spots. Mariano Rivera is still on the team and will pitch in save situations...Benitez is going to be used as a set-up man, and we'll have to cross our fingers and hope that he's able to handle it and perform well. The money he's making through the remainder of the season really isn't a factor (I think it's $2.7 million, but the Yanks can afford it), and at the end of the year, the team should offer him arbitration and either take the compensatory picks or have a high-priced set-up man for 2004. No matter what, the Yankees didn't give much up here and have improved the team by shoring up its greatest weakness...so it's a job well done by Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office.
posted by VZW Watcher at 3:34 PM -