One of the big stories in baseball this week is that Roger Clemens came out of retirement, again, and signed a mammoth contract with the New York Yankees. On the face of it, this is another example of the wealthiest team in baseball spending money that no other team can afford to spend.

Clemens' new contract calls for him to be paid $28 million, pro-rated for the number of starts he makes this year. If Clemens were to pitch the whole year, this would make him the highest-paid player in baseball this year. But of course, he won't pitch an entire season. He'll pitch maybe four months, and still take home more money then almost every Major League ball player. Not a bad gig, if you can get it.

But what makes Clemens so valuable? Why are the Yankees willing to pay about $18 million for four months for the services of a pitcher who will turn 45 in August? And what makes a pitcher who does not average six innings per start so valuable to the Yankees?

From May 1 through May 10, Yankees' pitching has given up an average of 4.2 runs per game. Included in that total of 42 runs are two games where their opponents scored 26. In the other eight, opponents have scored 16 runs. If you can limit your opponents to two runs per game 80 per cent of the time, your team will win a lot of games.

The broader picture the Yankees face, though, is that their starting pitchers aren't making it deep into games. Of the 33 games played so far, Yankees starters have only 11 quality starts. Only 11 times has the Yankees starting pitching given the team a good chance to win. Fortunately for the team, the offense is thunderous, and so quality starting pitching isn't required to win.

But quality starting pitching might be required for the Yankees to make the playoffs. At this writing, four of their relief pitchers are on pace to pitch over 90 games. This is not a recipe for success at the end of the season, as high appearance totals for relief pitchers tend to mean a dramatic drop off in performance in the near future. Whether that near future is September, October or the next year, relief pitchers who throw 90 games in a season decline dramatically from their April and May performances.

The Yankees need to ease the strain on their bullpen, and that means quality starts. Clemens fills that gaping need for the Yankees. Last season, he started 19 games, and 12 of those games he pitched at least six innings, and gave up three or fewer earned runs. In five others, he pitched five innings and gave up two or fewer runs. If nothing else, Clemens is dependable. And right now, with a pitching staff just waiting to fall apart, the Yankees pitching staff needs dependable, high quality starts. With the revenue stream the Yankees have, cost is no object, so they paid a premium to acquire someone they believe can provide 15 to 18 quality starts.

Will Clemens be able to provide those high-quality innings? He's transitioning from the National League to the American League, and over the past years, that transition has been very tough for pitchers. If Clemens can provide quality starts the Yankees so desperately need, and the Yankees make the playoffs, then the dollars will have been well spent.

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