Didn’t he say this was his last season in that new book?

But, the big stats this year for Moose are BB/K ratio and HR/IP ratio. That’s why he’s pitching well. The question is…can he keep those ratios up after this season.

A two year deal, based on flawed stats like wins, is ludicrous. You don’t think the league will adjust again to the “new” Moose?

Moose has done more this year than I thought he would do in a full year….AT BEST!!

But if he wants to [itch next season, then I’d let him pitch some place else and take the draft picks.

Even if Moose trails off a bit in the second half, I think you give him a one year contract with a team option for a second year. If he wins 16+ games this year, you have to consider setting benchmarks that allow the second year option to vest automatically with performance. If he wins 18+ games this year, I think you have to give him a two-year contract, if he wants it. After last year, it wasn’t clear that he would *want* to pitch in 2009, but now I think it’s pretty clear he’ll want to come back, absent a significant injury or a substantial regression in the second half.

And, in terms of fanboy peripherals that would matter more if you signed players with your heart, instead of your head … if he pitches decently in 2009, 300 wins becomes reasonably possible to achieve in 2010. And, if he gets his 300th win, he’ll likely go into the HoF as a Yankee, since he’ll have pitched more games and collected more wins (including his 300th) in a Yankee uniform.