With the addition of Andy Pettitte…does it make sense for Joba to go back to the pen?

It does make sense for Joba to go back to the pen. I'm not trying to start an argument here. I'm just stating how I feel. I'm not the type of person who is totally against Joba in the rotation, because I believe he will be great in both situations. The Yankees don't have a set up man, and Joba would be the perfect fit to complete the unstoppable duo that we had. With Sabathia, Burnett, & Wang already in the rotation..do we really have so much to worry about? The Yankees just added Andy Pettitte to the back end of the rotation, and you can plug in Hughes into the missing hole.

Mariano Rivera is coming off shoulder surgery, and there is no guarantee he will be himself. I'm not saying he won't be, but who knows. This is not an argument for Joba not being in the rotation, but I'm just stating that it isn't that crazy of an idea. When most people hear that Joba should go back to the bullpen..all they say is that "your wasting him." That isn't true at all.

It could look like this:

Rotation: Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes

Bullpen: Chamberlain/Rivera

Right now he is a starter, and I'm not complaining. Just think about..does it make sense? I think so…

When I asked Brian Cashman about the situation yesterday, he said, "It's not something on our radar. Our plan is that Joba's still a member of this rotation, and that's how he's prepared this winter and that's how he was told to prepare and that what he's excited to do."

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This way the New York Yankees can keep Joba's innings under control, and if Rivera needs a little extra time to be ready for the season, Chamberlain can be the emergency closer. If Rivera is right for the start of the season, then Chamberlain has the eighth inning and the Yankees are that much more of a force.

An eighth-inning dynamo is much more important to the Yankees now than a back-end starter, and besides, the Yankees have candidates for that fifth spot, including Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves.

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