The New York Yankees are thin in their starting pitching rotation after losing Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and JA Happ to free agency this off-season. While it is possible they still bring back Tanaka or Paxton, the Happ train has certainly left and will not stop again in New York.
Nonetheless, the Yankees don’t necessarily have a number two pitcher behind Gerrit Cole, which was a problem during the 2020 season as a bullpen was forced to pick up the slack at times, forcing significant fatigue on the unit.
If the Bombers can’t find a solid pairing with Cole, they will be facing a similar problem in 2021, one that pops up every year and ultimately drags down the efficiency of the team and their World Series aspirations.
However, the Yankees will be gaining back Luis Severino and potentially Domingo German, depending on if ownership provides him with a second chance in pinstripes. Severino, though, was expected to be the team’s ace before going down in 2019, pitching just 12 innings. He has now missed two full years of baseball and is expected to make a return in 2021, but there will certainly be hiccups along the way.
Field manager Aaron Boone spoke with the media this past week, indicating they feel confident with their young developing pitchers.
“We do feel really good about our depth and some of the experience guys were able to gain this season,’’ Boone said. “But it’s a long way between now and spring training.’’
Severino’s return will provide the Yankees with support and reinforcement, but it could happen after the start of the 2021 campaign.
Boone stated that Luis Severino is “doing well in his recovery,” but he’s still quite a ways away from seeing the mound in a professional game.
Severino hasn’t even begun throwing off a mound, and the Yankees will “certainly be conservative’’ with his return, “especially a guy as valuable and important as Luis is to our team.’’
There is a long journey ahead for Severino, who is working his way back slowly. Back in 2018, he finished with a 3.39 ERA, 19 wins, a 41.1% ground ball rate, and 10.35 strikeouts per nine. Overall, he was fantastic and was trending toward ace status. If he can regain his old form, the Bombers will have their number two arm, but that’s a big “if.”