Who Will Be The New York Yankees Rotation Safety Net In 2016?

At the start of the week, the answer to the question of who would be the safety net for the New York Yankees rotation would have been an easy one: Adam Warren, but after Warren was traded for Starlin Castro on Tuesday, there is no easy answer.  The Yankees currently have seven pitchers capable of starting games, and potentially leading the team in innings pitched, but each comes with issues.

Losing Warren not only hurts the strength of the rotation, but also the bullpen, which struggled towards the end of the year.  With Justin Wilson also shipped out, the Yankees bullpen could be significantly weaker in 2016.

While the Yankees are said to be willing to trade Andrew Miller, and Brett Gardner, but only for a starter, those talks have went nowhere.  The team has also shown a reluctance to sign any free-agent pitcher, and with the contracts they are receiving, the decision could be a smart one a few years down the line.

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With a rotation that was no better than average in 2015, the organization is currently too dependent on bounce-back years from many of their starters, something that could happen, but is not what fans want.  Brian Cashman has shown an ability, in recent years, to get creative, without dishing out big contracts to players past their prime.

While a trade, or even a signing, could come in the two months before Spring Training begins, the Yankees pitcher I would count on the most also happens to be the youngest, Luis Severino.

While Severino only has 62 1/3 innings of Major League pitching under his belt, he is the pitcher who enters the season with the least question marks.  Severino showed that he can handle pitching in the big leagues, and in New York, and his youth only leaves room for improvement.  Barring something unforeseen, Severino will begin the 2016 season in the Yankees rotation, and he could become a pillar of the rotation for the next ten years.

Although many fans do not like the Yankees sitting out free agency, Cashman has done a great job of hanging on to his young, talented prospects, and we have already begun to see what they can do at the big league level.  It is never good to count on someone with as little experience as Severino, but it’s also hard to see the Yankees acquiring any pitcher that can be fully trusted, as they have shown a reluctance to part with their top prospects.

What do you think Yankees fans?  Can Severino be the Yankees safety net, and most trusted pitcher, in 2016?  Let us know in the comments below.

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