It’s becoming more and more clear that the New York Yankees, with a record of 8-7 after Sunday’s loss, have to improve their rotation. After the injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt, they expected their starting pitching to be a little rocky to begin the season. But with unproven rookie Will Warren and an aging Carlos Carrasco taking up spots in the rotation, the Yankees won’t be able to afford a situation like this for much longer.
Yankees Rotation Looking Dangerously Thin
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Yankees are counting their lucky stars that they picked up Max Fried in the offseason. The left-hander has been their best starter by far over the first tenth of the year, pitching seven scoreless innings in Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers in a much-needed win to avoid a sweep. Unfortunately, that’s about where the good news ends. Current ace Carlos Rodón has looked like an All-Star at times, but can’t seem to avoid the long ball, which has ruined great performances on multiple occasions. As for Marcus Stroman, the right-hander hasn’t been very good either, and now faces a stint on the 15-day IL.
Maximum Effort
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New York, which as recently as February appeared to have one of the best rotations in baseball, now faces a rotation that is their team’s weakness, not their greatest strength. They can’t seem to avoid the injury bug, with four of their would-be starters currently out with injuries. Additionally, their replacements are not necessarily performing up to par, which has cost the Yankees multiple games thus far. The front office simply cannot afford to let this situation go on for much longer.
A Bit of Silver Lining
Though there’s no bright light at the end of the tunnel, the Yankees have been gifted a candle this week: right-hander Clarke Schmidt is set to return from the IL on Wednesday to face the Kansas City Royals. After making two rehab appearances with Double-A Somerset, Schmidt is coming back to New York as a much-needed reinforcement. Last season, the 29-year-old put up a 2.85 ERA over 85 1/3 innings, racking up 93 strikeouts over 16 starts. While his return is very good news for the organization, it is still just like putting a Band-Aid over a deep cut.
The Yankees will get Luis Gil back, too (eventually). The issue is, Gil’s current timetable slots him to return to the club sometime in July. That’s another 2+ months to get through, so there is no way New York can bank on last year’s AL Rookie of the Year to act as a savior to the rotation. Left with very few internal options, the Yankees will have to look externally if they want to save their season.
Possible Acquisitions
On Monday, Empire Sports Media‘s Alexander Wilson suggested the Minnesota Twins’ Pablo López as a possible trade candidate for the Yankees to pursue. The 29-year-old was just recently placed on the 15-day IL with a hamstring issue, but the injury doesn’t appear to be severe. Over 16 2/3 innings this season, he has a 1.62 ERA, a K/BB ratio of 14-2, and an ERA+ of 255. He is a right-handed, groundball pitcher, something the Yankees desperately need. In the second year of a four-year deal with the 5-11 Twins, the Yankees would be wise to at least pursue López before the trade deadline.
The Yankees could also target a few starters from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The defending World Series champs have almost too much starting pitching, the same problem that the Yankees had just a few months ago. New York could easily acquire either Landon Knack or Bobby Miller if they’re willing to part with a high-end prospect. Despite an abysmal 2024, Miller put up an excellent rookie year in 2023, posting a 3.76 ERA with an 11-4 record over 22 starts. As for Knack, the 27-year-old pitched 69 innings last season, racking up 69 strikeouts and a 3.65 ERA over 15 games (12 starts). The Yankees would do well to pursue either pitcher, since neither is currently slotted into the Dodgers’ full-time rotation.
The Last Word
To put it simply, if the Yankees don’t fix their rotation, they will more than likely miss the postseason for the second time in three years. They just cannot rely on their bullpen and lineup to carry them throughout the season, especially with the inevitability of further injuries. Even with Luis Gil, this rotation is not a strong one, and they have to do something about it if they want to make it back to the postseason, let alone make another trip to the World Series.
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