How the **** does Phil Hughes manage to get $8m a year, after struggling as he has the past few years, especially after last year's 4-15 performance which set all kinds of bad records both MLB and Yankee, on an 85 win team?
Now he's on a team thats lost 90+ games each of the past 3 years
Twins have coveted Hughes for a long long time. I believe Hughes saw a 6 million offer from one of the California teams as well.
Hughes was ruined by the Yankees. He entered the farm system with a 93-95 mph fastball, a wicked slider, and a developing changeup. During that time the Yankees had an organizational philosophy to not allow young pitchers to throw sliders - I **** you not. Joba escaped because of his rapid rise through the system, but they converted as many pitchers as they possibly could into fastball/curveball pitchers.
Despite that Hughes developed a pretty killer curve. Called up and nearly no-hit the Rangers before going down with the hammy. Yo-yo'd back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation, trying to implement a cutter into his repertoire which pretty much ruined the kid. He was trying to be too cute with that pitch from the moment he learned it from Mo.
He's got top of the rotation potential - he always has. The Yankees are just really bad at developing young pitchers (see: Joba, Phil, Ian, Betances, Brackman, and Banuelos).
He's going to a park that won't victimize his long ball tendencies. He's a good good pitcher. He will be one that thrives out of the bright lights of NY.
