He's been as close to an MVP as the Yankees have had in a season that looks less valuable by the day, and now the future becomes as intriguing as the present for Mike Mussina.
There will be little left to look forward to down the stretch for the Yankees, other than Mussina's quest for his first 20-win season in a resurgent year that stunned many people around the game. He lost a shot at win No. 18 on Sunday as the Yankees fell 5-2 to Seattle and dropped 8 1/2 games behind Boston for the AL wild card. As manager Joe Girardi told reporters, the club might have to win all of its games to keep its streak of playoff appearances alive and extend it to 14.
A more interesting race will be Mussina's shot at 20 with 19 games left to play, which could give him four or five more shots if the Yankees adjust to help him, which they should.
But a more pivotal question will be what the Yankees do with Mussina in the offseason. Initially thought to be an aging cast-off when the season began, Mussina has suddenly shown his value.
Even as the Yankees cling to a goal of getting younger, Mussina almost definitely should be offered at least a one-year deal. Anything after that gets tricky, but the veteran certainly gave the Yankees a lot to think about this season.
MARINERS 5, YANKEES 2: The Yankees took an early two-run lead, but they later gave it back as they dropped two of three to the lowly Mariners and yet again damaged their minuscule playoff hopes. The Yankees fell 8 1/2 games back of wild-card leader Boston. Mussina yielded four runs in seven innings, while Mariners starter Ryan Feierabend yielded solo home runs to Derek Jeter and Xavier Nady but little else while pitching seven innings of two-run ball.
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