Phil Hughes Moves To Bullpen If New York Yankees Land Cliff Lee
July 9, 2010 · Larry Barnes · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
By Larry Barnes | Yankees ‘n More
According to a Major League Baseball sources I just spoke to, the New York Yankees will move Phil Hughes to the bullpen if they acquire Cliff Lee.
When asked why the Yankees wouldn’t just move Hughes to the bullpen, the source replied, “They will. That’s what their plan is.”
Our question to this long-time friend of Yankees ‘n More came in response to all the talk that a Cliff Lee trade would be quickly followed by a Javier Vazquez deal. Anybody who reads Yankees ‘n More (or follows us on Twitter) knows we aren’t fans of Vazquez.
Nevertheless, moving Hughes to the bullpen would seemingly solve several issues for the Yankees.
AMONG THEM:
1) It would instantly and dramatically improve the bullpen, which has been shaky at times before Mariano Rivera.
2) It would solve the issue of how to handle Hughes’ innings limit. He could pitch without limits out of the ‘pen and stay within range of the number the Yankees have set for him —speculated to be between 150–170.
3) Hughes, who has struggled some of late, would also get used to pitching in relief again, which is something he would almost certainly do in the postseason anyway, especially with the addition of Cliff Lee to the rotation.
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