Cashman’s Test

From PA:

Just spoke to Brian Cashman. If you’re expecting C.C. Sabathia in the Bronx any time soon, don’t hold your breath.

“There is no trade market at the moment,” he said. “I’m not optimistic that something can get done on that front. We have to try and plug this gap internally and that’s not going to be easy.”

Cashman said “there is a window” for Wang to pitch again this season but that it would not be until September.

“Based on what we knew yesterday, we were bracing ourselves for something bad and it’s bad,” he said. “He’s not going to be able to do anything for six weeks.”

This is going to be one of the bigger tests for Brian Cashman. It’ll be up to him to decide whether or not the Yanks are going to make a move (now or later) and his entire “develop from within” philosophy is going to be challenged through this situation. One thing is for certain, I wouldn’t put too much stock into these “there is no trade market, we’ll go the internal route” Cashman commentaries. We’ve heard this type of talk before, whether Cashman was discussing FA’s (e.g. Bubba Crosby) or the hot stove.

For now, the Yanks will go to the minor league system (or to their bullpen for Dan Giese) for a metaphorical cork (of the pitching variety) that’ll hopefully stop the leaking a bit. Nevertheless, sooner or later (probably a little bit later), if C.C. Sabathia (or even Bedard) does become available, I’d expect them to be right in the middle of the trade talks. People are discussing Derek Lowe, Randy Wolf, Paul Byrd, and other candidates, but if the Yanks are going to make a move, I’d expect them to go all out and go for the best available pitcher. Why send any valuable prospects away for the question marks listed above?

Injury Update On CMW

I’ll warn you. It’s bad..

RHP Chien-Ming Wang was examined today at New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia Medical Center by Yankees Team Physician, Dr. Stuart Hershon and Dr. Jason Greisberg, Foot and Ankle Specialist.

Imaging studies revealed a mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament of the right foot and a partial tear of the peroneal longus tendon of the right foot. Wang will be on crutches and wear a protective boot for a minimum of six weeks.

So, I guess this is worst case scenario for the Yanks. Lisfranc injury and a partial tendon tear. Wang’s season is probably lost because he’ll have to rehab after the six week period (a minimum). I’m worried about the season for the Yanks, but they still have a stable rotation and can work with what they have. Actually, I’m more worried about Wang’s future (next year and on) and I hope that he can bounce back from what appears to be a pretty severe injury. At least he’ll avoid surgery (for now).

Cashman is probably making calls as we speak.

Some Perspective

From Nick Cafardo (Boston Globe):

There seems to be a lot of folks assuming C.C. Sabathia will be traded by Cleveland at the deadline to a contending team. The reality might be different. Said an AL general manager, “Who’s going to give up the boatload of young talent that Cleveland would want in a deal like that? Yankees? Brian Cashman wouldn’t make the Johan Santana deal. Boston? Theo Epstein wouldn’t make the Santana deal, nor would he make a deal for Roy Oswalt a couple of years back. The Mets? Could they give Cleveland what they want? It’s a lot tougher to pull off than most people think.” And the other thing: The Indians play in the AL Central. One good week, and they’re back in the race.

Just a thought… Everyone is clamoring for a C.C. trade (hell, I love the guy), but at this point in time, it may be very difficult to pull off. Wang’s injury (depending on its severity) and Hank Steinbrenner’s drive after losing out on Santana could help trigger this trade though, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Closing Ceremony at Yankee Stadium

From George King III (NY Post):

Former Yankee and Houston resident Chuck Knoblauch and his 21/2-year-old son, Jake, were on the field during batting practice yesterday. Jake had his picture taken with Jeter and Posada.

Knoblauch, who testified in front of Congress after being named in the Mitchell Report, could be called as a witness with Andy Pettitte if the feds prosecute Roger Clemens for perjury. Knoblauch didn’t discuss that situation.

He said he was looking forward to being part of the closing ceremony at Yankee Stadium in November when the club wants to have every living Yankee on hand.

Sorry if this is old news to some of you, but I haven’t heard of these plans before. Having every living Yankee (current and former) on the field for the closing ceremony would probably be the best possible way to end things. It’ll certainly be a heartfelt moment to see some of those guys back together again (I hope they don’t leave out guys like Kevin Brown… uh, yeah).

Panic Post

From Tyler Kepner (NY Times):

The injury is to the top of Wang’s foot, the same general area that reliever Brian Bruney injured when he tripped while covering first base in April. Bruney was found to have a Lisfranc injury and is expected to miss a minimum of three months.

Wang has symptoms of the same injury, including swelling and the inability to bear weight on the foot; he left Minute Maid Park on crutches, in a soft cast. Bruney’s injury was in the middle of the foot, and Wang’s is believed to be in the webbing of his toes, between his big toe and second toe.

Hmm, this is nothing but speculation on Kepner’s part, yet the similarities between the two cases are somewhat troubling. Bruney has been on the DL since April 24th and since he opted out of season-ending surgery, he’s been rehabbing his foot and could actually return around the AS Break. However, obviously if Wang has the same injury then he would be out for about 3-4 months (without surgery). The Daily News also outlines the similarities between the two injuries, as the Yanks initially thought that Brian Bruney had a sprained foot as well, until learning the truth, later on. Again, this is all rampant speculation and is not meant to scare fellow fans, although the idea is entirely numbing.

I must admit, however, that the location of Wang’s pain seems troublesome. According to this website, Lisfranc injuries are actually pretty rare and are often caused by some blunt force that is usually stronger than simply rounding a base (yet it is not limited to a heavier force, like a fall or a car crash). That information is good, but it’s the pictures on this site that scare me, such as the following:

Well, I’m no expert but as you can see here, the Lisfranc joint “area” is in between the big toe and the second toe (thereabouts). As stated in Kepner’s piece, Wang is feeling pain in the webbing which joins his big toe and his second toe. He’s having trouble applying weight on his foot, which can be expected with any foot injury (fracture, sprain, ligament damage, etc.), but he’s also experiencing a tremendous amount of swelling (both of these are symptoms of Lisfranc injuries). Then again, this could be some sort of stress fracture, or these could be indications of a variety of other foot issues that we’re all unaware of (I’ll end the speculation here).

When you read the papers later in the day (or in the morning) a lot of them will say Wang’s season is over in order to drum up trade talks (and sell papers through the trade chatter). However, I must reiterate that nothing is confirmed as of now. C.C. Sabathia is suddenly on everyone’s mind but remember, the Indians are only 5.5 games back in their division while the White Sox and the Twins all have their share of question marks (the Tigers are also beginning to surge a bit). The AL Central is still a very “open” division and with the Indians playing the lowly Rockies next, it could be a while before a decision is made about moving Sabathia.

Blog Bounce: LoHud’s Wangtastic Solutions

PA, at the LoHud Blog, proposes some possible replacements for Chien-Ming Wang. While we don’t know what’s wrong with Wang, exactly, we can at least expect him to miss his next start (Girardi said he would be “shocked” if he could pitch) and he’ll likely miss a few weeks, depending on the severity of the injury. Hopefully, Wang won’t be gone for too long and these “replacements” will only be temporary.

Either way, PA’s proposals vary from short-term to long-term and I’d say the short-term options, guys like Jeff Karstens, Dan Giese and Ian Kennedy, are the more realistic choices. The long-term list, which features names such as Randy Wolf (no Petco/NL pitchers, please), Freddy Garcia, Rich Harden (he’ll cost an arm and a leg, and then his arm or leg may fall off), and, of course, the inevitable candidate–C.C. Sabathia–would depend on a variety of factors in order to become possible. We’d have to wait on Cleveland to totally fall out of contention, we’d have to wait on Harden’s body to hold up, for Freddy G. in AAA, I mean, it’s all a crapshoot.

But, PA gave us a list and it’s some food for thought, right? I expect the Yanks to try and solve this issue internally (short-term guys), however, that will likely fail once the league catches up to whoever they throw out there unless the guy is an actual talent (Dan Giese probably won’t do). With Joba Chamberlain now serving as a legitimate starter, our rotation is still fairly solid. Once Ian Kennedy gets himself straightened out, I’d actually expect him to get the call with Andy Pettitte becoming our temporary ace.