Because of this move and the fact that the Yanks will most likely have 6 starters going for 5 spots, the odds of us signing Zito and then spinning off one of our pitchers in a deal for A-Rod, just took a major hit.  Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson, and Pettitte are locks with Pavano and potentially Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa battling it out for the final spot.

This shouldn't be too much of a major surprise, because even though I would love to have A-Rod, it would be a major upset if the Yanks were actually the ones to say uncle to having a high payroll and opt for a cheaper starter at a cost to the major league club.