WHY LOSING ACEVES HURTS

The loss of Alfredo Aceves may sound small, but it's much more significant than the evil Red Sox just signing another arm. It's a former Yankee, plus, to me, it's another misstep by the Yankee brass.

Losing Dustin Moseley and Aceves back in December didn't sit right with me back them. Moseley proved he could deal with any situation the Yankees threw at him, even in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Rangers when he shut them down and gave the Yanks a chance to win. That performance alone earned him a spot in 2011 in my mind. Aceves, while hurt all year was 10-1 for the Yanks in 2009 and a promising pitcher. If he wasn't, the Yanks wouldn't have relied on him as much as they did.

So why did the Yankees let Moseley and Aceves get away? Moseley ended up signing with the Padres for the same amount the Yankees resigned Mitre for, $900,000. Aceves obviously is making progress and throwing bullpen sessions far quicker than the Yankees anticipated. Plus the Red Sox and Mets were both willing to offer him a Major league deal, that means something. Are you gonna sit here and tell me that's not a big deal at this point of the off season? Bullshit. At this point, February, teams are signing pitching to minor league deals to fill the void and compete for spots. No, no, trust me, the Yankees drug their feet on this one and I can guarantee that come September when the Yankees face the Sox, Aceves will be the difference in the series and everyone will look back to February 8th and think "Why did we let Aceves get away?".

I'm not saying Aceves will shut us down. I'm saying there will be 1 bright moment for him and a dark one for New York. It will be a glimmer, a small, yet smart play that will be overwhelmingly significant and turn the tables on the Yankees. It may be a strikeout with the bases loaded or an acrobatic play tagging A-Rod running to first. Something so all of us groan and wonder why Cashman's head was in the clouds all winter. Let's just hope the loss of Aceves doesn't bite us in the ass.

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