MLB: Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, others still sorting out pitching

(Phatzradio / USA Today) — PEORIA, Ariz. – They might have had all winter to correct their flaws, but with spring training camps opening this weekend, many contenders have a better chance of forecasting the Republican primaries than identifying their own rotations.

The New York Yankees widely are reported to be attempting to trade veteran starter A.J. Burnett to make room in their rotation, and the Boston Red Sox are scrambling just to find five healthy starters. Free agent starter Roy Oswalt, who rejected overtures from the Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, has stated his preference for the Texas Rangers or St. Louis Cardinals.

“We’ve got fewer questions than we used to have,” said Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, who has no room for Oswalt. “If we stay healthy, we’ve still got to ask one of our starters (from last year) to go back to the bullpen. That’s not a bad problem to have. It used to be an annual tryout camp.”

The Red Sox might be taking a page out of the Rangers’ former playbook this spring. They have their top three starters set with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz, but the rest of the rotation is a sea of uncertainty with John Lackey out for the season after Tommy John elbow surgery and Daisuke Matsuzaka, who also has an elbow issue, out until at least the second half. Boston might need a starter from a group of non-roster invitees that includes Carlos Silva and Vicente Padilla.

The Yankees proved a year ago tryouts can provide surprising results with non-roster players Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon combining for 20 wins. They are hoping Phil Hughes (5-5, 5.79 ERA last year) is their next successful project.

“Everybody would love to have their rotation set before spring training,” Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge said, “but it’s a lot harder than it used to be. The price tag for starting pitchers, injuries and young guys moving around — you’re just not going to be as set.”

MLB: Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, others still sorting out pitching is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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