Joba Belongs in the 'Pen

Spring Training is coming to an end and the Yankees are getting ready to head north for the start of the regular season, which will begin April 6th in Baltimore. Over the next few days there will be much discussion of roster spots, rotation, position battles and batting order.

Some of these issues have already been settled- Joe Girardi has named Xavier Nady as the starting right fielder, some will be decided in the next couple of days - an announcement is expected in the near future on who will get one of the most coveted positions in all of sport, the starting center fielder for the New York Yankees. And still other ideas have only recently been brought up, like Girardi's thought of moving Derek Jeter to the lead off spot and having Johny Damon bat second.

However the largest weakness on this much improved squad will go on with no significant change since last season, there is still no strong eighth inning set-up man, also known as "The all-important bridge to Mariano". And the strangest part of it all is that the solution to the problem is on the roster. If the Yankees were to announce tomorrow that Joba Chamberlain is moving to the bullpen, they go from having an average group of relievers to, quite possibly the best in baseball, while only sacrificing their current fourth or fifth starter who would be limited by a season long inning count.

The argument against moving the hulking right-hander is that a big time ace is more important to a team than a relief pitcher, a front line starter will pitch upwards of 200 innings, while a set-up man will pitch in the area of 70, as well as the effect a number one starter brings to a playoff series.

However, these arguments just don't add up with what the Yankees have done over the last few months. In December they went out and got CC Sabathia, who - they're hoping - will be the opening day starter for the next seven years. As well as A.J. Burnett, who will be a very strong number two for the next five years, health permitting. Along with Chien-Ming Wang, it would seem the top three rotation spots in the Bronx are filled quite nicely for some time.

The same however, cannot be said of the Bullpen, sure at the moment the closer position is taken by the greatest reliever of all-time, Mariano Rivera, but he's going to be forty by next opening day. And Damaso Marte and Brian Bruney, who are going to be the set-up men this season, don't exactly inspire fear in opposing managers hearts, nor are they what would be considered closer-in-training material, Joba would fill both those roles immediately.

While it is true that a starter does pitch considerably more innings than bullpen dwellers, Yankee management has said there would be an inning cap on Joba of about 150, and this for a guy who is not very economical with his pitch count all leads to the fact that the average start for the Lincoln Nebraska native will be approximately five innings, just barely enough to have a significant impact on a game and qualify for the win.

If in the 'pen he will be used late in close games and as a "fireman", coming in with runners aboard and the contest on the line, which would be considerably more important outs than the first half of a game. This would insure that the limited amount of pitches available in that right arm are only used in key situations, maximizing the use of the youngster.

The fifth starter spot would go to Phil Hughes who, along with Andy Pettitte, would fill out the back half of a strong rotation. This would put minimal pressure on the man the Yankees refused to trade for Johan Santana last year, while allowing him to show what he has on the big league level.

Chamberlain as a reliever and Hughes as a starter is the best way for the bombers to get the most out of this season, and set themselves up for the future. Yet, for some reason they seem reluctant to take this route, saying that Joba will remain in the rotation. One can only wonder if they will be singing the same tune if by the end of April there is an obvious middle relief issue.