Yankees Rumors: Front Office Has Reached Out to Derek Holland

The New York Yankees are one of three MLB clubs confirmed to have interest in injury-prone free agent starting pitcher Derek Holland.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the New York Yankees are one of three teams who has reached out to the agent of free agent left-handed starting pitcher Derek Holland. General manager Brian Cashman has made it clear he will explore all avenues to upgrade the pitching staff this winter, so it makes sense that he would be in on the bidding for Holland.

The 30-year-old starter is likely especially appealing to New York because of their apparent limited budget this offseason. MLB Trade Rumors predicts a one-year deal of around $6 million should be enough to land Holland, and while his 2016 numbers were ugly, he has a history of being effective when healthy.

Holland pitched to a 4.95 ERA and 4.75 FIP in 107.1 IP (20 GS) this year, striking out just 14.9% of opposing batters and walking 7.8%. On the plus side, he put together his first healthy campaign since 2013, but ended up losing his rotation spot late in the year after a string of disastrous starts and was actually left off the Rangers’ postseason roster.

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With no real dependable starters available on the free agent market, it probably makes sense for the Yankees to take a few calculated risks this winter. For those opposed to spending big on Rich Hill, bringing in a few lottery tickets on significantly cheaper deals could yield the same results. Aside from HollandHenderson Alvarez

Aside from Holland, Henderson Alvarez, Brett Anderson, Andrew Cashner, and Kris Medlen could all bring that type of value to the club. New York isn’t

New York isn’t actually hurting for rotation depth, with a number of interesting young arms expected to compete for their open jobs next year. At the same time, there’s no real reason not to bring in a veteran or two to compete with them in the spring and maybe stash in the bullpen if they lose out to the kids.

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If Holland is truly terrible and not deserving of the roster spot, $6 million is not going to stop the Yankees from making the right call and cutting him loose. There’s very little downside to a signing like this.