Davidoff: Getting Haren would be a mistake

Well, the best thing that can be said about Sergio Mitre's performance, at a Yankee Stadium so hot and sticky that even Derek Jeter looked uncool, is this:

Andy Pettitte thinks he can return shortly from his left groin injury.

"He's a lot better than what he showed us today," Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland said of Mitre, who absorbed and deserved yesterday's 7-4 loss to Kansas City.

Yet we've got six days and ticking until the July 31 non-waivers trading deadline, and the Diamondbacks have hung a "For Sale" sign around the right arm of ace Dan Haren. The Yankees have discussed names in a potential trade with Arizona (they turned down the Diamondbacks' request of Joba Chamberlain, Ivan Nova, Zach McAllister and another prospect), an obvious sign they think their strong starting rotation can get even better.

The Yankees should resist a Haren deal. Because what they have should suffice in their quest to repeat as world champions. Because the deal would not represent good payroll or roster management. Because, as long as we're talking, Haren historically is worse in the second half.

Mitre took his first turn in the Yankees' rotation since Pettitte went down last Sunday, and it also represented his first major-league appearance since June 4 after he served time on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. Against the Royals, the American League's 10th-best offense, he allowed seven runs (five earned) and seven hits in 41/3 innings.

"A lot of 2-0s, 2-1s, 3-0s," said Mitre, who threw 72 pitches, 43 of them strikes. "You can't really do much. You're kind of playing to their game instead of being ahead in the count and putting them away."

He was bad enough that Joe Girardi wouldn't commit to starting him when his turn comes up again Thursday in Cleveland.

"It's too early to talk about that," Girardi said moments after the game ended. "We just walked in off the field."

Dustin Moseley pitched a strong 42/3 innings in relief of Mitre, and on Friday night, Chad Gaudin threw a solid three innings after a long rain delay.

The Yankees believe they have internal options, with Pettitte optimistic a week into his rehabilitation. But they keep picking up the phone when the Diamondbacks call, since they do like Haren. With reason. He's an accomplished, durable pitcher whose season has been weighed down by some bad luck.

The package of Chamberlain, Nova, McAllister and one more player wouldn't qualify as an unreasonable request on Arizona's part, if it weren't for the roughly $33 million that Haren is owed through 2012. He'd be a better bargain than, say, A.J. Burnett. Nevertheless, they'd be taking another financial risk, on a roster already teeming with them, on someone who hasn't pitched in a division anywhere as challenging as this American League East.

Perhaps the D-backs would throw in some money if the Yankees supplied better pieces in the package. Then they'd be giving up important prospects for a commodity that appears superfluous.

After all, the Yankees have Burnett, CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes under control for 2011, and everyone in the world knows they're targeting Cliff Lee in the free-agent market. That's four starting pitchers. What do they do if Pettitte decides to come back? Turn him down?

Sure, they could take the winter to sort out the excess, but that rarely turns out as well as envisioned.

Give Mitre another chance Thursday, or try Moseley or Gaudin. With this offense, mere mediocrity will be rewarded.

And with this current Yankees roster, perhaps with one more bench player acquired by Saturday, the biggest reward sits as an excellent possibility.

P.S. Haren's career second-half numbers: 4.27 ERA, .319 opponents' on-base percentage, .453 slugging percentage. Hardly awful, but hardly elite, either.