Yankees Could Check in on the Tigers’ Offseason Fire Sale

Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Mike Pelfrey

The clearest area of need for the Yankees entering the offseason is their rotation. The only proven starters who are locks to get the ball regularly for New York are Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Michael Pineda. At the moment, New York are expected to let a bunch of youngsters fight it out for the last two spots.

The Tigers have some big names in their rotation who are owed some equally big money that they would presumably be happy to move. Justin Verlander was the best of the bunch this year with a 3.04 ERA and a league-leading 1.001 WHIP in 227.2, but he’s also arguably the face of the franchise and owed $28 million annually over the next three seasons. There are a lot of obstacles to him being moved.

On the other hand, Anibal Sanchez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Mike Pelfrey could probably be had just for salary relief after disappointing seasons from all three. All of them have had some success in the past, and will probably receive some interest because of the non-existent free agent pitching market.

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The 32-year-old Sanchez is owed $16.8 million in the final year of a mostly-disastrous five year $80 million deal. He had a 5.87 ERA and 5.06 in 153.1 IP this year, his second straight well-below-average season. Sanchez was a useful pitcher as recently as 2014, and finished fourth in the 2013 AL Cy Young voting after leading the league in ERA (2.57) and FIP (2.39). Still, he looks cooked to me. Unless someone smarter than me sees something to fix, I would pass.

I think we can safely pass right over the almost always terrible Mike Pelfrey and look at the pitcher who might be the most enticing for the Yankees, Jordan Zimmerman. Just one year ago, the 30-year-old righthander was one of the most sought-after pitchers on the free agent market. Now the Tigers would probably be happy to give him away for nothing.

Zimmerman struggled all year injuries in the first season of the five year $110 million contract he signed with Detroit last winter. Even when he was on  the mound, Zimmerman wasn’t himself, pitching to a 4.87 ERA and 4.42 FIP in 105.1 IP (18 GS). His strikeout rate plummeted to 5.6 K/9, well below his career average 7.3 K/9.

A noticeable drop in velocity and inconsistent control seemed to be behind Zim’s poor results this year. It seems most likely those were the result of the groin and neck issues he was battling. If he proves himself healthy, could Zimmerman be worth a look?

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The four years and $92 million he’s owed for his age 30-34 seasons is downright reasonable when you consider the contracts guys like Rich Hill and Ivan Nova are expected to land this winter. Acquiring Zimmerman would be a roll of the dice for sure, but it’s worth considering if the Yankees want to make a run next year.