In case you just haven’t gotten enough of the fifth starter drama in camp, it appears that whoever the Yankees’ “healthy discussions” yield as the top choice, it won’t be Chad Gaudin.

Gaudin has placed on waivers by the Yankees, according to an AOL Fanhouse report. If no one claims him, the Yankees could release him and pay a quarter of his $2.95 million salary ($737,500), or ship him to Triple-A and pay his full salary.

So, it appears that it’s down to four – Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Sergio Mitre. If I had to put on my Carnac hat today and make a decision, I’d say that the Yankees are going to go with Hughes, which would not have been my prediction heading into camp.

I had thought Chamberlain was a near-lock, since they spent three years building him up for this opportunity to pitch without innings restrictions.

But that’s just a guess, anyway. Who’s your pick?

Joe Girardi is planning on meeting for “healthy discussions” tomorrow about the fifth starter competition, and a decision appears to be coming up for Thursday or Friday at the latest.

“We’re going to discuss it in the next couple of days,” Girardi said. “We’ve got to start to iron some things out because we’re running out of innings and we’ve talked about wanting a decision to get the guys in the bullpen.”

It’s always possible that the Yankees could want to see a more starts from their contenders, especially Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, but it also stands to reason that – at this point – the Yankees know exactly what they have and don’t need any more data to sway their choices.

If that’s the case, then here are the resume bullet points for each of the five pitchers:

Alfredo Aceves, 28, RHP

• Grapefruit League: 1-1, 3.77 ERA in four games (two starts); 14.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 SO
• 2009: Was 10-1 with one save and a 3.54 ERA in 43 appearances (one start).
• Last outing: Charged with 5 ER in 4 1/3 IP vs. the Astros in Kissimmee.
• Quote to note: “It’s part of the game. It’s baseball. You always keep
  the bad and the good things. You just fix it to the next game, those
  details. … I don’t want to use that word, ‘happy.’ But so far, it’s been a good Spring Training — for everybody.” – Aceves.

Joba Chamberlain, 24, RHP

• Grapefruit League: 0-0, 16.20 ERA in three games (one start); 6.2 IP, 10 H, 12 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 5 SO.
• 2009: Was 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA in 32 appearances (31 starts).
• Last outing: Allowed 2 ER in 5 IP vs. Yankees intrasquad in Tampa
• Quote to note: “I’ve just been in a routine. It’s just one of
  those questions you’re faced with every day. It’s human nature when you
  get asked every day to think about it, so it’s just something where
  I’ve gone back to having fun. I’m just enjoying being out here, putting
  this uniform on and competing with these guys.”- Chamberlain.

Chad Gaudin, 27, RHP

• Grapefruit League: 0-3, 8.38 ERA in four games (two starts); 9.1 IP, 16 H, 9 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 5 SO. Has been placed on waivers by Yankees, according to a report.
• 2009: Was 5-10 with a 4.76 ERA as a starter in 2009 with the Padres and Yankees
• Last outing: Allowed 4 R (3 ER) in 2.1 IP vs. the Rays in Port Charlotte
• Quote to note: “It’s not that I’m not competing, I’m trying to feel a rhythm. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. It’s
  inconsistent. But [Friday], I didn’t get the job done. No excuses.”- Gaudin.

Phil Hughes, 23, RHP

• Grapefruit League: 0-2, 4.15 ERA in four games (one start); 13.0 IP, 12 H, 6 ER, 5 HR, 2 BB, 10 SO.
• 2009: Was 8-3 with three saves and a 3.03 ERA in 51 appearances (seven starts).
• Last outing: Allowed 4 ER in 4.1 IP vs. the Phillies in Clearwater
• Quote to note: “I’ve done all I can do. We’ll just have to see where
  they want to go from here. … I’ve kind of learned around here just to
  roll with the punches. What you say isn’t going to affect anything. You
  just have to go out and do the best you can, and see what decisions
  come from it.” – Hughes.

Sergio Mitre, 29, RHP

• Grapefruit League: 0-0, 3.21 ERA in four games (two starts); 14.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 14 SO.
• 2009: Was 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts)
• Last outing: Allowed 2 R in 5 IP vs. the Rays in Port Charlotte
• Quote to note: “I would think he’s probably pretty healed. He had the
  offseason to rest, and I think part of it is just the constant grind.
  Having the offseason, I think he’s probably where he’s going to be.
  It’s probably nice for him to feel much better after every start.” – Girardi.