New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was right. It wasn’t pitching that lost the ALCS to the Houston Astros, who currently lead the World Series 3-2. Failing to drive runners in from scoring positions doomed the Bombers, and it was a reality that nobody imagined after such a dominate 2019 season on the bases.
As the Yankees featured top sluggers and contact hitters up and down their batting order, it didn’t seem to be enough to scrape out a win against an equally talented opponent. Their starting pitching was far more efficient than the Yankees’, though.
Trusting Cashman to upgrade a starting pitching rotation that suffered through constant injuries and inconsistencies throughout the season might be tough, and his reasoning for losing to Houston might attest to that.
 “Pitching is not what cost us that series with the Astros, at least in my opinion. I felt that our hitting with runners in scoring positions is what sent us home,” he said during his season-ending press conference this past Thursday.
Manager Aaron Boone went on to back up that statement. Still, there’s no question that adding an arm like Gerrit Cole would make the Yankees exponentially more dangerous, especially during the postseason. If you can’t beat them, join them…so they say.
Starter James Paxton, who was stellar during the playoffs with a 2.16 ERA (2 runs allowed in two games), reinforced the beliefs of Boone and Cashman, and I’m sure he’s confident he can earn the top spot after his showing this postseason. Cole would undoubtedly ruin those plans.
“I feel really good about the guys we have.”
“I’m sure they’re gonna go out and look to improve like they always do,’’ Paxton said of potential moves. “We have a great group here, and we can definitely get it done.â€
It’s always good for current players to have confidence in their teammates, but the Yankees need to upgrade the top pitching spot, and if it means bringing in a player that barely ever misses time due to health issues, then so be it.
What would Gerrit Cole cost the New York Yankees?
Cole’s value is tremendous, but he will come at a cost. Somewhere in the $30+ million per-season range, to be exact. Cashman will have to take the “cash” out of his name to pay for a player like Cole, but it would be worth every penny considering the depth the Yanks currently have.
The New York Yankees outfield is all but secured with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Mike Tauchman, and more. The infield still has plenty of options, and third base it the only spot that could be a question mark unless Gio Urshela is the real deal. Miguel Andujar will also be making his expected return from injury.
If there’s any place Cashman can add a massive contract, signing the best pitcher in baseball isn’t an inadequate salary allocation.