Whether Masahiro Tanaka is coming to Major League Baseball or not, and the latest reports out of Japan indicate he will be forced to stay home, the Yankees are looking for a considerable contribution to the rotation from Michael Pineda.
The large right-hander obtained from Seattle for Jesus Montero following the 2011 season, hasn’t thrown a pitch in the big leagues since then. He missed 2012 due to shoulder surgery, then started last season on the disabled list and was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) in early July.
Yet Brian Cashman, encouraged by the progress with the rehab program and reports out of Tampa that Pineda is in shape, is expecting Pineda, 25 in January, to contend for one of the two open spots in the rotation behind CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Hiroki Kuroda.
“He is coming to spring training to win a spot in the rotation,’’ the general manager said Thursday. “He is a viable option.’’
Even if the Rakuten Golden Eagles decide to post the 25-year-old Tanaka, the Yankees aren’t guaranteed to land the right-hander because multiple teams would likely bid the $20 million limit. Teams who bid the highest can then negotiate with the posted player. Of course, if Tanaka is not posted, the issue is dead.
And with the Yankees acting allergic to free-agent starters Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Garza, Ervin Santana and Bronson Arroyo, there is a lot riding on Pineda.
“The only red flag is what happened in the past,’’ Cashman said of Pineda, whose velocity dipped in the second half of 2011 and never surfaced in spring training the following year when he reported woefully out of shape with a stomach better suited for a tavern league. There is a chance he suffered an anterior labral tear that required surgery attempting to increase velocity.
“He is on a throwing program and healthy,” Cashman added. “The legitimate question is, ‘What is he?’”
Among internal options to fill the fourth and fifth rotation spots, Pineda isn’t alone. David Phelps, who made a dozen starts and pitched in 22 big league games last season when he was shelved with a strained right forearm, will be in the picture. So, too, will Adam Warren (34 games/two starts) and lefty Vidal Nuno, who went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA in five games (three starts). He was placed on Scranton’s disabled list on June 8 and missed the rest of the season due to a strained left groin.
And Cashman didn’t rule out Manuel Banuelos, who hasn’t pitched at any level since appearing in six games for SWB in 2012. He underwent Tommy John surgery in October of that season and didn’t pitch this past year.
“He will be a healthy left-hander who hasn’t finished off his development,’’ Cashman said of Banuelos, who will be 23 in March. “But if we have a need … we are trying to win. What’s best for his development might not be what’s best for the major league team. Our hope is that he goes to Triple-A, but we have taken guys before they were ready [in regards to development].’’
The Yankees will welcome right fielder Carlos Beltran on Friday with an 11 a.m. Yankee Stadium press conference. On Thursday, Beltran signed the three-year, $45 million deal agreed to Dec. 6.