Even though it’s been pretty clear for the past decade or so that the New York Yankees are in desperate need of pitching, it seems like that’s not a priority for Brian Cashman and the team’s front office.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the team is focused solely on acquiring position players and trying to reach an agreement with DJ LeMahieu, as they currently like what they have on their bullpen.
However, it’s also worth noting that Masahiro Tanaka, JA Happ, and James Paxton are all free agents, so losing them will leave their rotation even more depleted ahead of the next MLB season.
Brian Cashman: Yankees Could Wait Until The Season To Address Their Pitching Situation
“Cashman likes the Yankees’ in-house rotation candidates and suggested the team might wait beyond Opening Day to see what they really have in their current mix before exploring external pitchers. This doesn’t appear to be their ideal scenario, as Cashman described this route as being a ‘way we’re forced to go because we don’t have the proper matches’ in the marketplace, though the Yankees are ‘prepared’ for such an event: ‘If I can add to what I have sooner than later, all the better. If I have to wait to do it in season, so be it. But we also might have enough right here before us that’s just untested’,” reported MLB Trade Rumors.
The Yankees only have Gerrit Cole as a bonafide option under contract, while Luis Severino is once again recovering from injury. Domingo Germán is eligible to come back after serving his suspension but he hasn’t thrown in a year, while standout prospects Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt could be forced into the rotation along with Jordan Montgomery.
There’s no doubt that bringing back DJ LeMahieu should be a top priority for the New York Yankees. However, if they want to win a World Series in the foreseeable future, they need more than just firepower.
