When the Yankees began their free agency approach this offseason, owner Hal Steinbrenner was quick to mention the lack of scoring production during the postseason, and that the starting pitching rotation was a problem.
Gaining back Jordan Montgomery and Luis Severino in a full capacity should bolster the unit, but adding reinforcements would give the Yankees a higher probability of winning the World Series in 2020. Ultimately, it comes down to Brian Cashman and Steinbrenner pushing beyond the luxury tax.
“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.’’
While Steinbrenner was reluctant to admit the starting pitching could use a big-name free agent, he followed up his advocation for the current grouping with, “all options are open,” in an interview.
When it comes to free agency, "all options are open," says Hal Steinbrenner.
Check out the full interview next Monday. pic.twitter.com/gWJYbFnDrd
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) November 25, 2019
Last season, the Yankees passed on numerous big names, including Patrick Corbin, Manny Machado, and Bryce Harper. Two of the three would have been significant additions to the team, but luckily players like Gio Urshela and James Paxton rose to the occasion.
The Yankees will keep their eyes open in free agency:
Moving forward, however, the Bombers need to be more aggressive with adding world-class talent, as the organization has officially gone a decade without a World Series. Next season could be their best chance at winning it all, considering the Astros and Nationals will be losing their top pitchers.
We will have to wait and see if the Steinbrenner’s are willing to splash the cash, but the investment seems to be justified.