Pinning Your Hopes On A 45-Year-Old Pitcher

There is little question that if Roger Clemens stays healthy (no ill-timed "hamstring" issues), he will make the Yankees' starting rotation better, but the important thing is that he doesn't make the Red Sox worse.

As long as the Sox keep doing what they are doing -- winning 2 out of every 3 games even with some offensive setbacks -- William will be watching the playoffs back home in Texas with Kody, Kacy, Kodak and Kleenex.

Clemens needs to eat innings to give Joe Torre's bullpen a break. Can he do that if he gives them only about 100 pitches a start (his average for Houston last year)? It's questionable. Here are his ERA+s since using his illegal side deal to force a trade from Toronto to New York:

     AGE       IP    ERA+
1999  36 NYY  187.7    97
2000  37 NYY  204.3   137
2001  38 NYY  220.3   128
2002  39 NYY  180.0   101
2003  40 NYY  211.7   112
  
2004  41 HOU  214.3   145
2005  42 HOU  211.3   221
2006  43 HOU  113.3   197

Clemens was a bit better than league average in his last two seasons in the Bronx. His stats were helped quite a bit with a move to the NL.

The Yankees are already trying to dampen fans' expectations:

Several Yankees remained cautious yesterday. Although injuries have forced Clemens to miss only a few starts the past few seasons — a pesky groin has troubled him occasionally since his days with the Yankees — he has become a five- or six-inning pitcher. Despite often breezing through National League lineups, Clemens pitched into the seventh inning only six times in 19 starts last season and has not thrown into an eighth inning since August 2005.

Manager Joe Torre will still need three or four innings from his increasingly worn relievers to preserve the leads Clemens may bequeath. ... According to Inside Edge, a statistical scouting service used by many major league clubs, Clemens's fastball has slowed to 91 miles an hour from about 93.5 m.p.h. five years ago.

Everyone is writing that Clemens will likely face the Red Sox in the June 1-2-3 series at Fenway. But I wonder. After the weekend series in Boston, the Yankees play four in Chicago before interleague games begin. I would not be at all surprised if William missed the Red Sox series (a fictional hamstring problem delaying his return?) and make his grand reentrance against Pittsburgh.

Someone on Baseball Tonight said that with the luxury tax implications, William will cost the Yankees $6.3 million a month. I read something (where?) that estimated his starts/pitch count for this season and figured he would be getting about $8,000 per pitch.

SoSHer The Gray Eagle:

How long should his next standing ovation be in Fenway? He's only had a couple of those in a Yankees uniform, so he should probably get another one. Maybe the Red Sox should put together another video for him, wishing him well with his new team.

Ken Rosenthal:

Clemens wasn't going to save the Red Sox, who already boast a rotation of right-handers Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka — not to mention righty Tim Wakefield, who currently is second in the AL in ERA, and lefty Jon Lester, who is expected to become the No. 5 starter soon. In fact, Clemens might have gotten lost in that group — a potential turnoff, considering how much he likes being the center of attention.

Meanwhile, in Houston:

No one was surprised when Clemens re-signed with the Astros last year, and no one was at all shocked that he's headed to the Yankees this time.

"There are two kinds of people," Lance Berkman said. "Those people who aren't surprised, and morons."

As soon as Andy Pettitte signed with the Yankees last December, Berkman said, Clemens was as good as gone. "I've been calling it loud and clear," Berkman said.

Asked if he thought the Yankees' desperation for more pitching played into it, Berkman said, "Even if they had a set rotation, that's where he was going -- there's no doubt about that."

The rest of the players approached on the topic were a bit less forceful with their responses, but nonetheless, it was clear that the overwhelming majority of uniformed personnel were: a) not at all surprised Clemens signed with the Yankees, and b) not all that upset that he's gone.