Friday, September 5, 2014

Thinking About 2015: The Starting Rotation


It is looking more and more likely that the New York Yankees will miss the postseason for the second consecutive season even after spending in excess of $500 million in free agent contracts in the offseason. When the Yankees fall out of contention I tend to start thinking about the next season just a little and try and plan out how the team can avoid this kind of disappointment in 2015. The Yankees starting rotation is going to be littered with question marks heading into the 2015 season with health questions for CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, and Masahiro Tanaka specifically.

Keeping the health questions in mind New York will need to have as much depth as they can stashed away in Triple-A and in the bullpen for next season. Taking into consideration all the options New York currently has at their disposal mixed in with the question marks the Yankees may be stacked at pitching next season.

The starting rotation looks to consist of CC Sabathia at the top followed by, in no particular order, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, and Shane Greene. It is extremely likely that New York brings back Brandon McCarthy to essentially replace the retiring and/or free agent Hiroki Kuroda in the rotation as well. New York also has Chase Whitley, Manny Banuelos, Bryan Mitchell, David Phelps and others already on the roster to potentially fight for a roster spot or work out of the bullpen.


As much as this is going to shock many I think New York should go with what they currently have in 2015 and avoid the free agency trap that is Jon Lester or Max Scherzer. If New York could get James Shields on a smaller termed deal, three years or less, than I would be more than willing to make room in the rotation for him by either trading a Shane Greene or not bringing back a Brandon McCarthy. Other than that I think the Yankees starting rotation is pretty much written in pen, hole punched, and placed in the 2015 version of Joe Girardi’s binder already. 

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)