Watching A.J. Burnett slink off the mound in Toronto on Monday night after allowing seven runs in just over two innings changed the question in the mind of Yankee fans. No longer was anyone wondering whether the Yankees should start a game in the playoffs, now they were wondering if Burnett should even be allowed to accompany the team on their postseason rounds.
Maybe we shouldn't even stop there. Maybe it is for the best if Burnett spends October on his own "Eat, Pray, Love" voyage around the globe. A little pasta in Italy, a little enlightenment in India and the languid brown eyes of Javier Bardem did the trick for Julia Roberts. We'd probably substitute Jose Molina for Bardem since he's the only man who has found the key to Burnett's heart, but there's little doubt that the Yankees would gain more from sending Burnett on a quest for spiritual balance than from bringing him with them to Minnesota or Texas.
Would you trust him with a Game Four in the opening round? If there's a Game Four, the Yankees will obviously either be up 2-1 or down 2-1 in their series. If they are on the brink of elimination there is absolutely no way that the team would put its postseason life in the hands of a man who throws a quality start less than half the time and throws a disaster start at least as often. And if they are up, are they really going to go with Burnett -- or anyone else, for that matter -- over CC Sabathia to close out an opponent? Especially if losing that game would mean travelling back to Minnesota for a winner-take-all game.
Joe Girardi dodged the question on Monday night, saying that the Yankees had to make it to the playoffs first. That's a funny answer for a man who has managed like the season is over for most of the month, but it shows how delicate a spot the Yankees are in with Burnett. He makes a ton of money, he'll be here for three more years and is emotionally fragile, so the Yankees can't just throw him aside. They can't allow him to ruin the season either, however, and that's why, however they do it, he needs to be shuffled off the main stage.
This isn't like 2009 when Burnett would mix an absolute turkey of a start in with jaw-dropping brilliance. The lows have been just as low, but he's never reached the kind of height he reached in Game Two of the World Series when he struck out seven Phillies and evened up the series after Sabathia was outdueled by Cliff Lee. His curveball has no bite, he isn't striking out batters at a good clip and it is impossible to imagine those things are going to come back overnight.
That means his one and only role on this year's Yankee team would be the guy who throws the pie at the end of a walkoff and, fun as those scenes have been the last two years, it isn't enough to justify keeping him around over a player who will be an actual asset to the cause of defending the crown won last October.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
