Top 5 Pitching Options For The Yankees

Author: Sal Vassallo

Editor: Fran Attié

As free agency rolls on during the 2020 MLB offseason, teams are looking for ways to retool their rosters and give themselves the advantage. One of those teams is the New York Yankees, who will be in the market for some starting pitching behind ace Gerrit Cole this offseason. With lefty James Paxton and righty Masahiro Tanaka now free agents, the Yankees will have to find another four starting pitchers to fill the void. As Charlie Morton has already signed with the Atlanta Braves on a one year deal, here are top 5 options out there for the Bronx Bombers:

5. LHP Adam Wainright

So I’m gonna start off this list with a very intriguing name in Adam Wainwright. The 39 year old has spent his whole 15 year career in St. Louis, but is now a free agent coming off a pretty nice season in a contract year. Despite going 14-10 in 2019, Wainwright sported a 4.19 ERA, which has come down in a shortened 2020 season: in the 60 game sprint, the veteran lefty posted a 5-3 record with a stellar 3.15 ERA. He pitched 65.2 innings striking out 54 hitters in what was an excellent bounce back year, as he looks to maybe secure the last big contract of his career. I personally think he will end up re-signing in St Louis, but he is out there for the taking this offseason.

4. RHP Jake Odorizzi

A 30-year-old starting pitcher that has struggled with injuries last year may not seem too desirable, but when Jake Odorizzi is on, he can dominate any lineup. 2020 was a rough season for Odorizzi, who as I mentioned struggled with injury to a 6.59 ERA in just four games. However, a healthy 2019 Odorizzi produced a 15-7 record with a 3.51 ERA in 159 innings pitched. While his ERA has bounced from 3.50 to 5, his body of work in his career makes him a great option at the back end of anyone’s rotation. He owns a career 3.92 ERA and has shown an ability to keep his team in the game.

3. RHP Taijuan Walker

A trade target for the Yankees at last years deadline, the 28 year old Walker is looking to cash in after posting a 2.70 ERA in 11 games last season between Seattle and Toronto. His season really caught fire once he was dealt to Toronto, as in six games with the Blue Jays, he went 2-1 with a microscopic 1.37 ERA in 26.1 innings. At age 28, Walker could be a long term solution for the Yankees in the middle of their rotation.

2. RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Yes, I think the Yankees should consider resigning Tanaka. In ten games last season, Tanaka posted a 3-3 record with a 3.56 era in 48 innings pitched (10 starts). I have seen Tanaka pitch in person and dominate some of his starts, including his first career shut out against the Mets to help the Yankees win the subway series. In seven seasons since coming over from Japan, Tanaka has compiled a 78-46 record with a 3.74 ERA. While he has struggled with elbow issues, it is tough to find guys that can have that kind of success in a big market like New York, and Tanaka has proven he can handle the big stage. While he did have a 4.45 ERA last year, he has won 10+ games in every season except the last. Overall, I think the Yankees should just re-sign one of their own here and look to add to the rotation after that.

1. Trevor Bauer

The 2020 NL CY Young award winner, Trevor Bauer will cost whoever signs him a pretty penny. The Yankees are no stranger to handing out big bucks to a starting pitcher having given Gerrit Cole 300 million last offseason. I’m not saying Bauer should make more than Cole—he certainly shouldn’t—but the Yankees likely wouldn’t shy away from paying Bauer the big contract, despite a league wide revenue shortage thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortened 2020 MLB season. A longtime Cleveland Indian, Bauer was traded to Cincinnati during the 2019 season, however, he struggled the entire year, ending it with a 4.48 ERA in 34 starts—his season getting even worse in Cincinnati, as he posted a 2-5 record with a 6.39 ERA. So Bauer, entering a contract year in 2020 did about as well as one could vying for a big contract. Winning the NL CY Young, he posted a 1.73 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 73 IP. Bauer was not only masterful on the mound, he pushed himself to pitching in short rest late in the season and was still dominant. I don’t know how the Yankees feel about Bauer’s loud personality, but if they can look past it, he would be a great addition behind Gerrit Cole for years to come in the rotation.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE