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TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 23: James Pazos #67 of the New York Yankees gives up the ball to manager Joe Girardi #28 as he is relieved in the sixth inning while Brian McCann #34 looks on during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 23, 2015 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

With Chapman suspended, bridge to big arms remains a question mark

Who do you trust in the bullpen besides Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller? I’ll wait.

*Cricket noise*

I feel like this is a problem that’s not being talked about enough. The Yankees will have to navigate those precious innings between the starter and the big guns at the back of the pen for at least the first month of the season with Aroldis Chapman suspended. Betances will pitch his customary eighth inning and Miller will act as the fill-in closer.

You can’t expect this rotation to give you seven-eight innings every night, and Justin Wilson is no longer here. On nights when one of the big two isn’t available, who steps up? The Yankees play teams like the Astros, Tigers, Blue Jays, Rangers and Red Sox all before Chapman is eligible to come back, so they’ll have their work cut out for them in close games. They can’t afford to run Betances and Miller into the ground in the first month of the season, either.

Guys like Branden Pinder, Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, James Pazos, Jacob Lindgren and Chasen Shreve are the incumbents who could be relied heavily upon. There’s a lot of question marks in this group, though. There’s inconsistency, inexperience and guys coming off injury.

Outsiders like Kirby Yates and Anthony Swarzak are also looking to throw their names into the ring. Even Ivan Nova, who’s competing for a fifth rotation spot, could find himself in an important role in the pen. He’d likely be the long man, but his stuff translates well into coming in for one inning and emptying the tank.

We saw what guys like Pinder and Rumbelow did last year, and it really wasn’t pretty. I don’t think the home runs Pinder gave up to the Jays have landed yet. The guys I have the most confidence in out of the group I mentioned above would be Lindgren, Pazos and Shreve – all lefties.

Lindgren skyrocketed through the system and looks like the real deal, but he’s coming off minor elbow surgery. Pazos is a guy who I actually think can be really good. Girardi used him in 11 games down the stretch last season and he allowed zero runs over five innings, but he also walked three. Shreve had a great first five months in pinstripes, but completely collapsed in September. Whether it was overuse or guys making adjustments on him, he clearly wasn’t the same pitcher. Regardless, there are a lot more unknowns than certainties.

With so many off-days in the first month of the season, hopefully the Yankees can maneuver Betances and Miller so they can pitch in as many games together as possible without tiring. The rotation also has to do it’s job and give the team length.

If there’s one thing Girardi is good at, it’s developing a bullpen on the fly. Maybe the experience the young relievers got in September will serve them well going into ’16? With so many good teams on the schedule over the first month, it’s imperative the Yankees find a group that works until Chapman returns and adds depth.