Forget Third Base, Yankees Need To Focus On The Rotation Now

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Aaron Harang

You’re probably thinking “Are you kidding me here?” No, I’m not. Remember, the purpose of this examination is to find a low cost, high reward arm that can slot in at the #4 or #5 slot in the rotation, and Harang would be a perfect fit. Think Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon from a few years ago. The soon-to-be 37-year-old, is coming off of a very solid season in Atlanta. Harang finished at 12-12, with an ERA of 3.57.

He was under contract last season for a flat $1 million dollars. It’s unlikely he could get a multi-year deal, given his journeyman status, and after pitching more than 200 innings, Harang would be a cheaper version of Hiroki Kuroda. Harang should get a slight raise given his success this past season, so why not throw out a one-year, $3 million dollar deal? For 12 wins (1 more than Kuroda), an ERA under 3.60 and over 200 innings? Kind of a no-brainer if this is the direction Brian Cashman chooses to go.