Did The New York Yankees Realistically Improve Their Starting Pitching?

New York Yankees, J.A. Happ
Oct 5, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher J.A. Happ (34) throws the ball during the first inning of game one of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

While the New York Yankees have addressed their defensive woes in the infield, most are wondering if they’ve done enough to improve their starting pitching.

The Yankees and general manager Brian cashman have surely bolstered the bullpen with the retention of Zach Britton and the addition of Adam Ottavino, but we haven’t heard much about the starters.

The trade that sent top prospect Justus Sheffield to the Mariners in exchange for James Paxton left some scratching their heads. Paxton is a talented pitcher with solid numbers – 3.76 ERA with 11 wins and 6 losses in 2018 – but he’s been an injury liability for the entirety of his career.

The ultimate question boils down to:

Can the Yankees trust that Paxton will remain healthy enough to provide significant value towards the success of the team?

If I had to bet my money, I would put my chips on him offering adequate value, nothing above or below, just average. That would be enough to indicate an improvement to a starting rotation that struggled at times last season.

Additionally, retaining J.A. Happ was a solid move for the Yanks, as he was arguably their most consistent pitcher finishing the season 7-0. My primary concern is that the team doesn’t have a true No.1, and they will be forced to utilize several no.2 quality pitchers to make up for the lack of a true ace. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily.

Most teams don’t even have a legitimate ace, let alone a quality rotation. The Yankees having 3-4 no.2 quality pitchers actually offers immense value and optimism in regard to win-rate.

Where it hurts them is when the playoffs roll around and they are in need of a dominant performance to acquire an advantage. The hopes remain that Luis Severino can solve his tipped-pitches problem and maintain his consistency throughout the season.

In 2018, Severino earned a low 2.00 ERA before the All-Star break, jumping to over 5.00 after. He has the skill-set to be a no.1 pitcher but needs to refine several aspects of his game.

The bottom line, the Yankees have in fact improved their starting pitching, and when you consider the fact that Happ didn’t pitch the entire season for the Bombers, we can assume they will record even more wins. Now, while the trade for Paxton saw the Yanks lose one of their top prospects, they added a positive piece to the puzzle that will contribute to the win-category.