Two Guys Sports
Bruce BostwickYankees Wang is Out
June 17th 2008 08:11
Chien-Ming Wang is out till at least September with a foot injury.
Not only did my favorite team, the New York Yankees, just lose their Ace, Chien-Ming Wang. . . so did my fantasy baseball team! I haven’t decided which I think is worse quite yet. I guess I will have to wait and see who the Yankees trade for to put in their rotation. For my fantasy team I know I just signed Francisco Loriano the other day, he is on his way back. So if you need a pitcher, go grab him quick. Although having Joe Saunders and Josh Beckett in an American League only fantasy league might make it a stretch to call Wang my team’s “Ace”. Now back to what I was saying before I got sidetracked. Wang has a partially torn tendon in a sprained right foot. This injury did not come from a bad landing while coming off the mound, it happened while he was running the base paths Sunday in a 13-0 inter-league win against the Houston Astros. He is expected to be out until at least September, and unfortunately that is the optimistic estimate.
One thing that came out of the injury was some “fun” comments from Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner. He commented, “My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century. Am I [mad] about it? Yes. I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."
Losing Wang is a major setback for a team already sitting six games out of first place that also has many other injuries at the moment. Not to mention that Wang has the most wins in the major leagues since 2006 with 46. The other top pitchers on that list are Brandon Webb (45), Josh Beckett (43), and Carlos Zambrano (42). That is some pretty elite company, and makes it a hard spot to fill.
Many names have been being tossed around since we are little more than a month away from the July 31st trading deadline.
Former Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia headed to the Bronx? Are pinstripes slimming?
Personally I have never liked C.C., that doesn’t mean I am saying he wouldn’t be good for the team, I just don’t like him. However, he seems like the type that would come to the media circus that is New York sports and crumble under the pressure. So many have had a great season or two before coming in and putting on the pinstripes only to have horrendous seasons. One name that comes to mind on that list is Kenny Rogers. I also don’t think Paul Byrd could do much for the Bronx Bombers.
I think Bedard might be a good fit, but might not be proven quite enough. This brings me to my two personal favorites on the list, Bronson Arroyo, and Randy Wolf. The Yankees start a series Tuesday against the Padres at Yankee Stadium. This could give team GM Brian Cashman the perfect opportunity to work out a deal that would bring him to the Bronx and see if he can live up to his potential, a point he has fallen short of in the past. I also like Wolf and think he’d be great in pinstripes.
However, my first pick just might be Bronson Arroyo, and for reasons that most might not think about. Sure he is a great pitcher, and could do a lot of good for the Yankees. My reasons are a bit different though. While the Reds and Yankees are talking about a trade, there might be a good chance that another Reds name would come up.
A nice package deal if the Yankees can talk the Reds into it.
The Yankees, they’ll be OK. They usually are. They will find a gem somewhere, or go out and trade or buy one. Hopefully they can get back near the top of the A.L. East before Steinbrenner (pick one) thinks it is time to find a new DM . . . Designated Manager.
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