Time is ticking for New York Yankees‘ general manager Brian Cashman, and sooner rather than later, he will have to address the starting pitching rotation.
The Yankees let James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and JA Happ hit free agency without much of an attempt to bring any of the three back. While it is possible Cashman reaches out to Paxton or Tanaka regarding a potential extension, Happ is long on.
Paxton is reportedly back to 100% health and will be showcasing his abilities in front of teams in the coming days. The Yankees could be in attendance, given the quality he provided on some occasions as a lefty in the rotation. Nonetheless, I do believe Cashman will move on from the three and reallocate his money toward new players that might fit their mold a bit better heading into 2021.
However, if the Yankees do agree to a new deal with DJ LeMahieu, they will have limited funds to bolster their starting rotation. This could force them to take a few unfortunate risks next season, specifically regarding young pitchers taking more of a role.
The New York Yankees could take a risk in 2021:
1.) Deivi Garcia
Garcia is one arm the Yankees could look to as a potential supplement in the rotation. In 2020, he finished the season with three wins and two losses. Over 34.1 innings, he logged a 4.98 ERA, 33.3% ground ball rate, and 8.65 strikeouts per nine. He put together some solid performances but was mostly batted around and taken advantage of at the top level.
It was a great chance for the Yankees to provide essential experience to Garcia, who had lit up the minor leagues and worked his way up rather quickly. While some may agree it was a bit premature to bring him to the top level, he pitched well enough to deserve some starts next season. Injuries are always a reality in the MLB, so I fully expect the young Dominican republic native to receive more action.
I don’t believe he should be factored into the starting rotation right away since, at 21 years old, he still needs more time to improve his location and spin rate. He does have some nasty curve but could use a little bit more velocity on his fastball.
2.) Clarke Schmidt
Schmidt is another player the Yankees will consider as a potential starter in 2021. This past season, he only earned 6.1 innings of action, allowing a 7.11 ERA. The simple reality is, the Yankees don’t have the financial flexibility they usually do in the off-season.
Cashman might be forced to take another injury-prone pitcher and insert him into the rotation, similar to James Paxton. However, the issue with that plan is that injuries often occur, and younger players are asked to take a more prominent role. Garcia and Schmidt will likely be involved in their game plan, it’s just a matter of when and how.