Bring me Darren O’Day

The New York Yankees plan over the last couple of seasons has been clear, concise and easy to understand. Get through at least five innings with the lead led by a young pitching staff and hand the ball off to the bullpen. In 2013 it was Mariano Rivera and David Robertson, in 2014 it was Robertson and Betances and in 2015 it expanded to Justin Wilson, Betances and Andrew Miller. Brian Cashman’s plan has worked, at least on the pitching side of things, and I’d bet the bank on the fact that a similar plan is already in place for the 2016 season. Cashman dropped an interesting nugget of information in a recent interview, which obviously is subject to change, when he said that Adam Warren was a starter for the 2016 season. Adding Warren to the rotation helps secure a good starting five but it weakens the bullpen considerably, and that’s where Darren O’Day comes into play.

O’Day finally gives the Yankees the super bullpen they have been searching for the past couple of offseasons while likely solidifying the starting rotation at the same time. Warren becomes likely the best 5^th starter in the league, depth chart wise, while O’Day joins a refreshed Chasen Shreve, Wilson, Betances and Miller at the back end of the bullpen. This would also be addition by subtraction as the Yankees would be taking away an integral part from the Baltimore Orioles success in 2015 and their bullpen. Won’t Buck Showalter be proud?

O’Day had a breakout season in 2015 holding both left-handed and right-handed batters to minuscule batting average against averages and should command a healthy contract despite his age, 33-years old, on Opening Day 2016. If the Yankees are going to make any splashes this winter I think it has to be for O’Day, everything else is merely a want and less of a need.