Galarraga a fit for Yankees?
Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga throws against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning. (June 2, 2010) Credit: AP
The Yankees need help in their starting rotation and Armando Galarraga would seem to be worth a try.
Detroit is ready to unload Galarraga -- who will go down in history as the only pitcher to be denied a perfect game by an umpire’s admittedly blown call -- and has designated him for assignment.
Teams know that the Tigers do not want Galarraga on the major league roster, so any deal will involve low level prospects or a fringe big leaguer.
Galarraga's salary is right. He will be owed $2.3 million. That’s too rich for the Mets, who are going with Chris Capuano and Chris Young to fill the back of their rotation, but that makes Galarraga low risk for the Yankees.
Galarraga is 23-26 in four seasons. He was 4-9 with a 4.49 ERA last year. In 2008, he went 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA. There is nothing to suggest he is a Dontrelle Willis-like reclamation project.
After C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and shaky A.J. Burnett, the Yankees have Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre.
Nova was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts. Mitre, after coming back from an injury, pitched in 27 games and was 0-3 with a 3.33 ERA. Neither Nova nor Mitre made the post season roster.
And neither flirted with a perfect game.
