2.) James Paxton
Paxton is a fantastic pitcher and one of the more diverse arms in the Yankees rotation. As one of the only lefty starters, he brings an active arm to the mound, one that is capable of being a top gun on other teams.
The Canadian born pitcher earned a 15-6 record last season, posting a 3.82 ERA with 23 homers allowed over 150.2 innings. Overall, he was dominant in most categories, but struggled with walks, giving up a career-high 55. He has never been an All-Star or earned any awards for his contributions, but when healthy and playing at the top of his game, Paxton is as good as anyone.
In his first playoff experience last year, he posted a combined 3.46 ERA, allowing two homers over 13 innings. That was an essential experience that the Yankees will rely on this year if they make the playoffs. Nonetheless, Paxton recently endured from surgery to remove a cyst from his lower back, but with all signs pointing to a full recovery, the Yankees could heavily consider him on another short term extension.