With the Yankees luring star pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Bronx for the next nine years, they will now feature one of the best starting rotations in baseball. At just 29-years old, Cole logged 326 strikeouts and a 2.50 ERA in 2019, both career highs.
At the beginning of the offseason, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was confident in his rotation, electing to throw his hitters under the bus for their lack of run production in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
“If the 2020 season was to start tomorrow, I would feel considerably more confident than I did a year ago at this time,’’ Steinbrenner said. “We will have both Severino and Montgomery back. We now know that [Domingo] German can pitch effectively at this level. And we know [James] Paxton can be the guy that we were hoping for when we made that trade. We have [Masahiro] Tanaka, [J.A.] Happ, [Jonathan] Loaisiga, and perhaps [Deivi] Garcia at some point. A very good rotation.’’
Steinbrenner was right, to a degree. Domingo German is facing a lengthy suspension on a domestic violence charge, and Jordon Montgomery is an unknown after missing all of 2019 due to injury.
However, bringing in Cole on a nine-year, $324 million deal, averaging $36 million per season, will give the Bombers a bonafide ace to and arguably the best pitcher in baseball to pair with a slew of quality arms.
Here’s a look at the Yankees pitching rotation:
1.) Gerrit Cole
2.) Luis Severino
3.) James Paxton
4.) Masahiro Tanaka
5.) Domingo German
6.) Jordan Montgomery
7.) J.A. Happ
8.) Deivi Garcia/Michael King
We can assume the Yankees will find trade partners for at least Happ, and Garica/King will feature in bullpen roles. The first four starters, though, are all capable arms who have proven they can be productive during the postseason. Cole is nearly an automatic win, and if Severino can regain his 2018 form, the Yanks will move forward with confidence.
All that’s left is for GM Brian Cashman to decide on Dellin Betances on a one-year deal or find a capable replacement via free agency.