The mailbag opens back up By Peter Abraham Doug writes: Do you think there’s any chance the Yanks would sign Francisco Rodriguez to be the 8th inning guy, and would he be open to that role? Answer: That sounds good for the Yankees. But K-Rod is going to want to close in the prime of his career and make big money. The Yankees are already paying Mariano to close. ———— Daniel writes: I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about the Washburn situation. I just heard that he was claimed but it’s unknown which teams did that. Given the interest of the team in Washburn previous to the trade deadline, I am surprised they did not move to claim him, especially when the rotation is in dire need of an arm. Answer: The Twins claimed him, Daniel. Seattle wanted either Kevin Slowey or Nick Blackburn back in a trade. Obviously that’s ridiculous. The Mariners have an inflated opinion of what Washburn is worth and the Yankees don’t want to give in to their demands. ———— Dan writes: Do you know how many Yankees have been put on/cleared waivers? Do you see them possibly becoming sellers for any reason? Answer: At some point, probably all of them were placed on waivers. That common at this time of the year. No idea who cleared. I don’t see them become sellers in the next two weeks before playoff rosters must be set. Any players who might be worth trading are either players they want to keep or guys who have no-trade clauses. I don’t see any trades coming down at this point. ———— Marc writes: Somebody needs to ask Girardi why he refuses to hit and run with Jeter while Damon is on first. If a guy is hitting a lot of weak ground balls to second and GIDP, why don’t you hit and run to stay out of the double play? Jeter would fist one though the hole left open at second half the time, and you would have runners on the corners with nobody out. Also, A-Rod needs to bat third, and move Abreu to fourth. You have to do something to try and get Alex out his slump. And Abreu is the team’s best clutch hitter. Answer: Marc, are you available to manage the rest of the season? I’m forward your e-mail to Brian Cashman. ———— Dave writes: If the Yankees continue to play poorly, do you think the front office will forego the playoffs this year and call up some of the young prospects and let them play? As a fan, I really do not think the Yanks are going to make the playoffs this year; but I would enjoy watching the kids play. Answer: There are two problems with your idea, Dave. I don’t think they’ll give up and I don’t think they really have any MLB-ready prospects. The players in Scranton are pretty much organizational players and not prospects. You’ll see a few new faces on Sept. 1 but no wholesale changes. ———— Eric writes: I love the Yankees, you should not give up on them! They’re my boys. I feel very strongly about this. Answer: Moving right along … ———— Vinnie writes: Pete, who do you think is the one free agent they should go after next season? Answer: I was very impressed with Mark Teixeira when the Yankees were out in Anaheim earlier this month. But the guy to get is CC Sabathia. The new Stadium will be the same dimensions as the old Stadium, making lefty starters important. Sabathia would give them a true No. 1 starter as Chien-Ming Wang recovers from his injury. A rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Andy Pettitte and/or Mike Mussina and the one or two most deserving of the kids (Joba presumably) would be formidable. That would put everybody in their proper slots. It also would enable you to trade a young pitcher as part of a package to get a good young hitter. Thanks for all the great questions. News source：http://0rz.tw/3c4F0 --

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