The Yankees have one glaring weakness through 18 games

New York Yankees, J.A. Happ

The New York Yankees currently sit at 12-6 on the season, putting together some solid baseball performances thus far in the 2020 campaign. Going into the year, the Yankees expected to have Luis Severino and Domingo German at some point in the season, but the former underwent Tommy John surgery, and German’s suspension was too lengthy to clear the revised regular season.

Before the MLB shut down operations, things were moving smoothly, and the Yankees had Gerrit Cole ready to take over as the team’s premier pitcher.

However, things changed rather quickly. Despite the interruption in play, the Yankees are still dominating offensively, as they currently host the third-best record in baseball. Aside from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton picking up injuries, the Yankees have managed to supplement deficiencies with a bevy of different players. Whether it be Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman, or Mike Ford, calling upon reserve options doesn’t seem to be a problem for manager Aaron Boone. The roster is littered with talent waiting to be utilized, but when it comes to starting pitching, things begin to fall off quickly.

Aside from Cole, who currently has three wins with a 3.22 ERA over 22 innings, the Yankees have scarce consistently in the starting rotation. After Masahiro Tanaka took a 112 mph comebacker off the head, expectations for his performance were surrounded by caution. However, through 11 innings, he has a 2.31 ERA.

Ultimately, Cole and Tanaka can’t carry the Yankees to a World Series appearance. The team needs their starters to last more than four innings if they wish to push the limitations. That hasn’t been the case for pitchers like James Paxton, JA Happ, and even Jordan Montgomery.

The New York Yankees have time, but can’t sit idly by and watch their started struggle:

Paxton, who underwent lower back surgery earlier this year, hosts a 7.84 ERA with nine runs allowed over 10 innings. He has been problematic with a decrease in velocity. Happ has thrown only seven innings, earning a 10.29 ERA with eight runs allowed. This is his second consecutive season of inconsistent play, and I imagine the Yankees will let him walk in free agency next season because of it. The issue is, with his performance declining in quality, the Yankees continue to look to the bullpen to try and replace his lost production.

Fatigue in the bullpen will undoubtedly become a factor if they have to utilize more than two relief pitchers per game.

However, the starting pitching woes don’t end there. Montgomery has a 5.17 ERA over 15 innings and three starts. He is currently playing the best of the three, but still only scratching the surface of average. The Yankees have survived because of their offense, but pitching wins championships, and the Bombers simply don’t have enough of it.

The starting pitching unit is by far the weakest link on the team, and while the trade deadline will likely be quiet this year, the Yankees should consider making a move to bring in a proven starter.