Joba the...Starter, or Reliever?

Good morning Yankee fans!

I apologize for infrequent posts...between classes, political work, fraternity obligations (Rush week is a busy time), and taking days off to go snowboarding, I haven't had much time for blogging. But as I don't have class for another eight hours, and the snow is coming down too hard for my car to make it to the mountain, I have finally found an opportunity!

As you all most likely know, Spring Training officially starts tomorrow with pitchers and catchers reporting. Without a doubt, this will be the most exciting Spring Training I've ever had the opportunity to witness. The bullpen competition will be an interesting for sure, with lots of wild cards, and even the rotation is not set in stone.

So where does Joba Chamberlain fit in? All winter we've heard from Brian Cashman and Dave Eiland that Joba will begin the season as a starter, albeit with inning restrictions. However, a recent report that has surfaced on both Yankees.com and ESPN that declares Joba will start the year in the bullpen in the majors, go down to the minors in June to start a few games and stretch out his arm, then rejoin the major league club in the rotation. I'm not sure on what would happen to the 5-man rotation at that point, but barring injury or a member of the rotation struggling mightily, I would imagine that this would push the rotation to a 6-man rotation. That would make sense to me, because it would help an aging Mussina, as well as serve to limit the innings of Kennedy and Hughes.

In general, I think this is a good plan. It strengthens our bullpen until June, and by that time, we should have a ton more bullpen options to choose from with all of our Tommy John recoveries coming back around that time (Cox, Sanchez, Melancon, etc.). The only thing that worries me, is that Joba will not have started a game for a full calender year. I am afraid of Papelbon-ing Joba. With a full arsenal like he has, I believe Joba is more valuable in the long run as a starter. One last concern is that this plan is assuming everyone (including Mussina) can stay healthy. This plan will fall apart real quick if this season starts off like last season did. However, if this plan works out the way the Yankees brass is hoping, then it would appear to be the smart move. Hopefully by June our bullpen will be solidified enough that Joba departing for the rotation wouldn't hurt us.

The bottom line is that this is a gamble. I personally think its a good gamble, but only time shall tell. Lets hear some feedback while we anxiously await Spring Training. Is this a good idea, a bad idea? Do you have a better idea? With the cult following that Joba has quickly amassed, it will be interesting to see the fan's reactions about the bullpen/rotation debate.