 Which Moose Will We Get Tonight?
These two stiffs matched up in a game for the ages five days ago, the Yankees survived for a 7–6 win, but honestly, Moose was out-pitched. No pitcher on the Yankee staff not named Farnsworth has been a bigger disappointment than Mussina this year. His numbers aren’t terrible, by American League standards, but they don’t even begin to tell the story of how grueling watching him pitch has become. His fastball, which a few years ago used to be in the low nineties, is now lucky to touch 87 MPH. His nibbling is only topped by his complaining when he doesn’t get an extra inch or two off the plate. It’s painful to see him get ahead of hitters, then nibble, then eventually give in. The title of this post may be a little misleading, because it assumes that there is more than one Mike Mussina left. Unfortunately, I think the good, effective, productive Moose is long gone, and we’re going to be stuck with this poor facsimile for as long as he remains on the team. All we can hope for is the rare night when he can control all of his pitches, and the ump gives him a generous zone. Short of that, we’re probably in for another painful 5 or 6 innings, and the inevitable implosion once he reaches 85–95 pitches. I’ve talked about a lot of trades in the past couple of weeks, and whether I think the Yankees should be buyers or sellers. There’s a good discussion of this very topic going on over at River Ave. Blues as I write this. Here’s a question that’s been posed to me by frequent commenter JJ: “Would you trade Mussina for Pat Burrell, straight up?” My answer is yes. I think Hughes and Karstens can do a better job in the 4 and 5 spots in the rotation than Mussina and Igawa. I also think having Burrell as a power bat off the bench would be a welcome addition. If you’re reading Brian Cashman, make the phone call to Philly, please.
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Fresh off a five-game winning streak and hoping to avoid a two-game losing streak, the Yanks will send Mike Mussina to the hill 
I think the trade would benefit both ball players. Burrell has been everyone's favorite scapegoat in Philly.....
* The Inquirer recently ran the headline along with a half page picture of Pat titled "The 50 Million Dollar mistake."
* Ex players (the late) Corey Lidle, Billy Wagner and others publicly criticized his 'heart' and passion for the game.
* Mike Schmidt said he could 'fix' his swing very publicly.
* Some genius had him wearing contact lenses in spring training, despite him having 20/20 vision.
* Ex-mgr. Dallas Green (still with the Phillies, what he does is anyone's guess) ripped him publicly.
* Pat Gillick said he's not doing his job less than a month into the season (way to keep his trade value, Patty).
* Charlie Manuel has benched him frequently since June (which is why we're getting to see Michael Bourne).
* Even little kids call this guy out on the local news.
And through it all, Burrell works hard, takes extra batting practice, is reportedly one of the first guys to show up at the stadium and has never said a bad word back to his detractors.
Enough already! Booing him and the criticism at this point is like kicking a dog when he's down. I feel sorry for the guy. Rumor has it he nixed a trade to Baltimore in spring training as part of his no trade clause. But Baltimore is nothing compared to a chance to play for the Yankees. He'd probably perform well in New York initially as Abreu did. His average would probably go up right away, as not many AL pitchers would be familiar with him. And he could be used as a DH where he wouldn't be a liability in the field.
For Mussina's part, yes, he's going to give up bombs at the 'Zen. So did Jon Lieber, Eric Milton and even Kevin Millwood when they were here (Lieber threw his last pitch in Philly probably). 'Finesse' pitchers (ie.. any old guy whose fastball doesn't reach 90 mph...see Greg Maddox and Jaimie Moyer) fare better in the NL where they don't face the DH. Mussina is smart enough and enough NL batters aren't familiar enough with him that initially he could do well.
So call it a mercy trade for both players (Burrell especially).