After being handled easily by the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 ALDS, clear improvement was noticed in regard to a strong yet needy New York Yankees team. Starting pitching was a priority going into the offseason and a need for defense-first infielders also topped the list.
Who have the New York Yankees signed?
Rumors have been plentiful this winter, as they usually are as the hot stove is fueled by the fire of free agency and big-money contracts. The Yanks haven’t exactly addressed their positions of need, only signing one starting pitcher and retaining a relief man/starter.
1.) SP – James Paxton
Paxton was traded from the Mariners to the Yankees in exchange for top-prospect Justus Sheffield and others. The deal was a clear win-now move, as he offers New York value when healthy but has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
He has only played in 102 games in six-years, which is telling in how often he’s available. For comparison’s sake, CC Sabathia has pitched in 155 games in the last six-years, and that’s including his eight-game season in 2014. Given Sabathia’s age, this trade doesn’t make much sense to me. Sheffield is a top young player and giving him up for a pitcher that might not even last the entire season is questionable.
The trade can be justified by Paxton’s stats, though, as he has a career ERA of 3.42 with 23 wins and 11 losses in the last two years. With an offense as productive as the Yankees’ we can expect him to receive more run-support and record more victories as a result. General manager Brian Cashman took a gamble on this deal, but a starting pitcher was a necessity and adding Paxton certainly helps the cause.
Grade: B-
2.) RP – Zach Britton
The Yankees recently re-signed relief pitcher Zach Britton to a three-year, $39 million deal. The offer has a fourth-year team option that must be decided on in the second-year of the contract, otherwise Paxton can opt-out.
This was a necessity for the Bombers as they allowed David Robertson to leave in free agency – he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies to be their primary closer.
Britton recorded a 3.10 ERA with the Orioles and Yankees in 2018. He seemingly pitched far better in New York than in Baltimore, earning a 2.88 ERA in the Big Apple and 3.45 in Camden Yards. He allowed just three homers over 40 inning pitched and gave up 16 runs, averaging less than half a run per-inning.
His WHIP last season was the lowest it has been since 2016 – 1.160 (with NY). Retaining him was an essential move that will likely pay-off in the long-run for Cashman and Co.
GRADE: A-
3.) SP – J.A. Happ
The trade for Paxton and losing out on Patrick Corbin forced the hand of the Yankees. Retaining Happ was their only move unless they wanted to unload a young star like Miguel Andujar.
Happ was productive with New York, finishing the year with an ERA of 2.69 in Pinstripes with seven wins and zero losses. He also had an impressive WHIP of 1.052. The talented lefty will earn $17 million per-season for the next two-years — a safe deal for the Yankees that will allow them to move on if he struggles down the stretch. The deal also includes a third-year vesting option that would be triggered if Happ pitches either 165 innings or makes 27 starts in 2020.
Being that he’s 36-years of age, keeping him on a relatively short contract helps the Yankees monetarily down the line and offers value for the present. This was a good deal for Cashman and the front-office.
Grade: A-
4.) SS – Troy Tulowitzki
The signing of Tulo was extremely important for a team in need of a defensive stop-gap while their primary starter recovers from Tommy John surgery. It has been a dream of Troy’s to play in Pinstripes and it has finally come true. He offers great value on a veteran minimum deal while the Blue Jays pick up his $20 million per-year contract.
The 34-year-old shortstop is a career .290 hitter averaging .252 the past two seasons. He has had a clear drop-ff as his body degrades and age inevitably catches up, yet his defense remains stellar and is still an effective player.
One of the more attractive attributes that Tulowitzki acquires is his ability to get on base. Has on-base-percentage has taken a dip recently but has never dropped below .300. joining a home-run centralized team will benefit the Yanks and Tulo, as he will utilize his patience and eye for the ball to get on base and provide a base-runner for guys like Aaron Judge and Giacarlo Stanton to utilize.
Grade: A
The bottom line, Cashman has added several starters to the team that will contribute in significant ways, but he has not upgraded the starting pitching by any means with the addition of Paxton. With a true No.1 being the priority going into the offseason, the Yanks managed to secure Paxton and re-sign J.A. Happ. They will have a solid rotation of second-tier pitchers but lack that dominating and consistent players that can come in and shut down an opposing offense.