Prior to the start of the postseason, I brought up the idea of the New York Yankees making a run at relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton. The former Los Angeles Dodgers closer battled injuries and ineffectiveness beginning in the second half of 2010. Interestingly, everything was going great for Jonathan Broxton until a June 27th outing against the New York Yankees (notice the 48 pitches – that’s never good for a RP). One and a half seasons and an elbow operation (to remove loose bodies) later, Jonathan Broxton finds himself on the open market without much leverage. I’ve liked the New York Yankees bringing him in on a buy-low deal, but I just didn’t think there was enough room for him in their bullpen. Health withstanding, Mariano Rivera has a monopoly on the ninth inning while David Robertson and Rafael Soriano basically own a majority of the 7th and 8th inning shares. There are not any “prime” innings leftover for a guy like Jonathan Broxton, but in a piece that Andy Martino put together (excuse the fact that he’s referring to the New York Mets here) he includes a quote from agent BB Abbott saying that Jonathan Broxton is not necessarily looking for a closing job or even a chance to compete for the closing gig in 2012. He wants to close in the future, but he needs to build his value back up first.
All of this still does not really address the overall logjam that the Yankees have in their middle relief corps. I already covered innings 7-9, but what about the other work that would be available? You still have Boone Logan and a second lefty if the Yankees go after one. Those two may vulture some of the “prime” innings that I keep referring to. You also have several guys in Triple-A who may find themselves in limbo at some point – too good for the minors, but not quite good enough for the Yankee rotation. Those guys usually find themselves in the ‘pen, if not traded. Finally, Joba Chamberlain will be making his return from Tommy John surgery (knock on wood) sometime in June. He’s a wildcard though. The bullpen is already crowded and the company only increases if the Yankees do decide to take a couple of low cost gambles. Do the Yankees continue using Chamberlain as a relief pitcher or do they bring him back as a starter and leave him alone once and for all?
Jonathan Broxton was one of the most explosive relief pitchers in baseball for the latter part of the decade and I think he’s young enough to recapture a good amount of that effectiveness. With his willingness to accept a relief role a few rungs down the ladder, it makes a little bit more sense for the New York Yankees to take a long look at Broxton and consider bringing him to the Bronx.
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