Yankees News: Who Can Lead the Rotation?

With Spring Training now underway, as pitchers and catchers have officially reported, we will take a look at who can lead the New York Yankees rotation in 2015.  This rotation does not have a sure-fire leader, as everyone comes in with questions, whether they are in regards to injury, consistency (or lack thereof), or talent. The Yankees do not have the depth to survive 80 percent of their Opening Day rotation go down for significant amount of time. The one starter last year that was able to avoid the disabled list, Hiroki Kuroda, is now back in Japan.

The obvious choice is staff ace Masahiro Tanaka, and the Yankees are hoping that he will be the one leading the rotation, whether a deadline move is made or not.  After suffering a partial tear in his UCL, but avoiding Tommy John surgery, there has to be a fear that any pitch could be Tanaka’s last for 12-18 months.  This would be the absolute worst-case scenario.  The Yankees will only go as far as Tanaka’s elbow can take them, and if he is lost, the season very well may go down with him as it did last year.

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The only two other in-house options that I can see capable of leading a staff are surrounded with even larger question marks than Tanaka.  Former ace CC Sabathia was limited to 8 very unimpressive starts last season following a sub-par 2013.  Sabathia, once a rock in the Yankees rotation, has not been the same since his weight loss and velocity decrease.  Getting 30 starts, 200 IP, and an ERA under 4 from the southpaw would be very pleasant.  While it is highly unlikely that he will return to being a staff ace, and one of the top pitchers in baseball, I don’t think these numbers are out of reach for CC, and he could be a very solid middle of the rotation starter, as Kuroda and Andy Pettitte were for years.  The other option, Michael Pineda, has never shown an ability to stay healthy.  Pineda was only able to pitch in 13 starts in 2014, and although they were dominant, he did not pitch in 2012 or 2013.  13 dominating starts in 3 years is not enough to be thrown into ace discussion.  If he can put up similar numbers while being stretched out over a whole season and avoiding the disabled list, Pineda has the potential to become one of the better pitchers in baseball.

At this point any situation where Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Capuano, or Ivan Nova is carrying the rotation probably means a third straight October without baseball for the club.  While all are quality options for a staff, none have the make up of an ace.  Eovaldi could improve significantly if he develops his secondary pitches, but after putting up a 4.37 ERA in the NL East while leading the NL in hits allowed, it remains to be seen how he will transition to the AL East, a much tougher division.  Capuano is more of a depth option, and should be replaced by Nova when the latter is back around mid-season.  Nova has shown that he can be a top of the rotation starter, but the Yankees will only have him for about half the season, and it usually takes a while for guys to get back to their best level of play after Tommy John surgery.

Are there any options not currently on the 25 man roster that can lead the rotation?  The obvious choice is Luis Severino, but he is only 20 years old, and even though he has dominated the minors, he hasn’t pitched above AA yet.  Dominating the minors also doesn’t guarantee MLB success.  Each step along the way gets more difficult, but there is no bigger transition than entering the majors and facing the best hitters in the world.  This is not to say that Severino cannot make the transition, but it is a transition the Yankees should not rush.  In recent years, Brian Cashman has shown that he is willing to improve any need via the trade market.  When the trade deadline starts to get closer, if the rotation is struggling is it possible he makes a blockbuster trade for Cole Hamels?  Although Hamels would immediately give the Yankees a bonafide ace without question marks, and a rotation of Hamels-Tanaka-Sabathia-Pineda-Eovaldi could be one of the best in baseball, it is highly unlikely.

The Yankees have tried in recent years to develop the farm system, and build from within.  They are finally getting the results and it seems unlikely they will change course, and blow up the farm for one player.  A more realistic, yet less attractive, name to watch is Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds.  If the Reds are out of contention come the summer, something that is very likely, and cannot reach an extension with the impending free agent, then they may look to move him.  While Hamels would require a king’s ransom, Cueto will be a much cheaper alternative.  He is exactly the type of player Cashman targets at the deadline, and I would not be surprised if he is high on the list of the Yankees GM.

What do you think, who would you like to see the Yankees rotation?  Let us know in the comments below.

Next: The Questions Surrounding The Catchers

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