Submitted by Garry, Sep 21, 2007 10:37

While Joba could certainly be Mariano's replacement, Mo will be around in 2009 when the new stadium opens. That could be his last year, so we're talking about 2 more years of the legend remaining. I thought that the Yankees expected Humberto Sanchez or Kevin Whelan to be potential replacements for Mo, not Joba. With Sanchez recovering from Tommy John surgery, he won't be available until mid-2008 the earliest, but will be available for 2009. Wheelan is also a candidate. Regardless, a starting rotation that includes Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy would be impressive. It would be a combination of finesse and brute power. A veteran like Pettitte or Mussina or both would be good to have as well to stabilize the rotation and lend expertise in key situations. I think Pettitte would come back if the Yankees win another World Championship, and could continue to 2009 to help inagurate the new stadium. Mussina, however, knows that next year is the last with the team, and may either retire, which I doubt, or seek to return where he started, as I'm sure Baltimore would welcome him back for a 2-year contract to stabilize their rotation with veteran leadership. But I digress...

The bullpen could have Rivera, Sanchez, who was the nation's #2 arm behind Hughes, as well as Ramirez and a couple others, and would be just fine. The better your starting rotation is, and the deeper they can go, the more flexibility you can have in the pen.

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