“If the 2020 season was to start tomorrow, I would feel considerably more confident than I did a year ago at this time,’’ Steinbrenner said. “We will have both Severino and Montgomery back. We now know that [Domingo] German can pitch effectively at this level. And we know [James] Paxton can be the guy that we were hoping for when we made that trade. We have [Masahiro] Tanaka, [J.A.] Happ, [Jonathan] Loaisiga, and perhaps [Deivi] Garcia at some point. A very good rotation.’’
The New York Yankees now enter the 2020 season with an intimidating group:
- Gerrit Cole
- Luis Severino
- James Paxton
- Masahiro Tanaka
- Jordan Montgomery
- J.A. Happ
- Domingo German (after suspension)
- Michael King
It’s possible the Yankees trade Happ in the coming weeks, as his $17 million salary will put the Yanks further in luxury tax hell, and considering his awful 2019 season, he’s expendable. The return of Montgomery should provide a reliable replacement for Happ.
However, I’m most excited about the unit’s postseason dominance, as Cole, who dominated during the 2019 playoffs, will now be the Yankees’ premier starter.
Four-man rotation postseason statistics (2019):
Gerrit Cole: 1.47 ERA, 36.2 innings, 21 hits, 4 HRs
Luis Severino: 2.07 ERA, 8.1 innings, 9 hits, 2 HRs
James Paxton: 3.97 ERA, 12.3 innings, 13 hits, 2 HRs
Masahiro Tanaka: 2.12 ERA, 16 innings, 8 hits, 1 HR
Combined, the four pitchers had a 2.40 ERA in 2019, and this was Paxton’s first postseason appearance (he had the highest ERA of the group). With Paxton earning a few playoff innings, he should see an increase in efficiency moving forward (assumption).
Beyond these four options, the Bombers have plenty of support if they need it. German had a great second season, and Montgomery earned a sub-.400 ERA in his first two professional seasons. To summarize, the Yankees have a genuinely unfair starting rotation.