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I don't think that I agree with you here, Steve. Why exactly do the Yankees need six experienced starters going into the season? Let's say that Pavano and Johnson are healthy. If so, what would be the role of someone like Vincente Padilla? Would the Yankees want to sign a guy like Padilla to a $9 million annual contract in order to be a swing man? Would Padilla even want to be a swing man?

I'm not even sure that Padilla projects to be better than a healthy Pavano. Acquiring a starter who projects to be better than Pavano would be the only rational way to go and even that would require selling Pavano at pennies on the dollar.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind if the Yankees stood pat with their rotation now. I think that a non-Hillenbrand 1B should be much more of a priority.

I don't think that I agree with you here, Steve. Why exactly do the Yankees need six experienced starters going into the season?
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Why not? These things have a way of working themselves out. You can never have too much pitching

jonm - you lost me at "Let's say that Pavano and Johnson are healthy."

Why not? These things have a way of working themselves out. You can never have too much pitching
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Yeah, but at what cost? Let's say that the additional starter that the Yankees get is one of the second-tier free agents. Adam Eaton just signed a $24.5 million contract for 3 years. You can expect the Yankees to pay at least that much. That's too much for a #6 starter. It's at least a $24.5 million insurance policy for the health of Johnson and Pavano. Even the Yankees have to keep a budget and such a player is just extravagant.

If people here think that the Yankees do need another starter, I challenge them to name names.

In my opinion, the only starter that makes sense is someone who is a clear upgrade -- say Cabrera + Pavano + $20 million cash for Willis. I don't see any deals like that on the horizon though.

Guys, with Igawa on the hook, the Yankees don't need a number 6, or 5, starter (i.e., a Meche, Lilly etc...), they need a 1, 2 or a 3. I see no value in adding another back of the rotation starter. There is enough depth in the system (Hughes, Humberto Sanchez, Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner, etc...)to give 'em a 4, 5, or 6. If you can't find a 1, 2 or 3, go with what we've got. Other than Hughes, I'd be willing to deal any of these guys in a package to get a solid 1, 2 or 3 that's under 32 years old.

#15 nailed it. We have enough 4-5-6 for 2 teams. If we don't get a 1 or 2 (I say this because I still think Moose is a viable 3), then stay pat and see how the first half goes.

Even the Yankees have to keep a budget and such a player is just extravagant.

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The Yankees dont have to keep a budget. They are not like other teams and not even like a business.
"At what cost?" George cares about winning, even if the Yankees were to lose money.

It's all about organizational pitching depth. As others have mentioned about PooPooPavano :-) and Johnson, you forget that Mussina certainly isnt a lock to make 30 starts in a season and Wang has had shoulder problems in the past. The reason Wang didnt pitch in Game 4 was because the organization feared him going on short rest because of his documented shoulder problems. The healthiest pitcher we "have" may be the person we know the least about and who may not succeed in the majors, Igawa.

Look at the Red Sox last year. They went into spring training with 7 starters and traded "Brandon" Arroyo and the only starter who stayed healthy was Beckett. That should teach you one thing: you can never have enough starting pitching, whether be a 4th or 5th or 6th guy in a rotation.

Examples of mythical beings:

Unicorn
Cyclops
A Healthy Pavano

They went into spring training with 7 starters and traded "Brandon" Arroyo and the only starter who stayed healthy was Beckett. That should teach you one thing: you can never have enough starting pitching, whether be a 4th or 5th or 6th guy in a rotation.
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Exactly.

Another example is the 2005 Yanks, and the guys they had to start for whatever reason.

Of course the Yankees have to watch how they spend. They're going massively into debt building that new ballpark. They're not the US Government, able to print money on demand.