The New York Yankees need pitching help. The Yankees being cash short due to a season with no fan and associated revenue is trying to find a way to patch up a starting pitching rotation that presently only has two pitchers. Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ were not offered qualifying offers. The chances of them coming back for the 2021 season are remote, although the Yankees have reportedly talked to Tanaka. If he comes back, it will be a shortened contract at far less than he earned this year.
The Yankees have reportedly been looking at several options to get a mid-rotation premium type pitcher. Names like Charlie Morton, Lance Lynn, Kevin Gausman, and Marcus Stroman have all been mentioned. Any of them would make acceptable mid-rotation pitchers. It appears that some free agents are taking the route of accepting qualifying offers and waiting to hit the market next year when hopefully, the market will be financially better. Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman have both taken that route.
The New York Yankees’ choices for pitching replacements are dwindling, which may increase Tanaka’s likelihood of returning. But if they can’t get Tanaka at a substantial discount, they will let him walk. If the Yankees are truly committed, after spending $324 million for Gerrit Cole to get to a 28th World Championship, they can’t keep doing what they have been doing and expect different results. If they spend some of the $70 million they have shaved from payroll to make a truly impactful move, they will go out and get Trevor Bauer.
Any remnants of a college feud that Bauer and Cole may have hand will be put away in a quest for a World Series ring. Both pitchers are brilliant and know what a tandem of Cole and Bauer will do for the New York Yankees.
The question will be, will the Yankees put their money where their mouth is. They did it with Cole, but without an ace-like pitcher following him, they are wasting their money. The Yankees might have Domingo German coming back, and even Luis Severino by mid-season. But the Yankees have no way of knowing how they will perform after not pitching for a year. But, the question would be eased if they followed two quality pitchers.
In this writer’s opinion, the number one priority for the Yankees should be signing Trevor Bauer, number two should be securing DJ LeMahieu for the next four years. Any other problem the Yankees have is not as important as these to listed priorities. Brian Cashman, if your listening, go out and get Trevor Bauer, even it’s for a one-year contract.