Potential starting rotation for the Yankees next season

Now that two key offseason questions have been answered, it’s time for the Yankees to focus on strengthening one of their weaknesses from last season, their starting rotation.

Last weekend was eventful for the Yankees, first, the team named Aaron Boone their new manager and then, it was revealed that two-way Japanese player Shohei Ohtani, ruled out playing in the Bronx.

Signing Ohtani would have been a low risk, high reward move for the Yanks, but now it’s clear that he had his personal preferences, since day one.

Ohtani should’ve let teams know his intentions from the start but now it’s time to move on. The two-way player would’ve helped the Yankees, providing another arm in the rotation and power at the DH spot. Not having him around doesn’t change where this team is going.

Last season the Yankees were one game away from reaching the World Series, however getting to the Fall Classic and winning it are very different things; in order to go all the way, the team needs to put the Ohtani drama behind them and address the future of the starting rotation, as soon as possible.

The good news for the Yankees is that Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray are back, giving the 2018 rotation a great core.

Severino finished third in the American League Cy Young voting — after leading the team with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts over 193 1/2 innings, while limiting his home runs allowed to 0.68 per game.

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The right-hander is expected to be the team’s ace and he’ll likely get the opening day start.

Tanaka finished the season strong, posting an 0.90 ERA and an 0.65 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and just three walks in 20 innings over three postseason starts. There’s no reason to believe he can’t be the ace he was two years ago.

As for Gray, he has been consistent throughout his career and if healthy, should be a solid contributor at the top of the starting rotation. Gray ranked 42nd amongst starters in run support per game (4.7), but he was able to finish with a career-high 8.5 Strikeouts Per 9 Innings (K/9).

Gray did, however, struggle in the postseason, as evidenced by his 4.32 ERA over 8 1/3 innings, but that’s a small sample size and he did manage to keep the Yankees alive in Game 4 of the ALCS. A full season in New York and some

A full season in New York and some much-needed run support will do him wonders.

While Severino, Tanaka and Gray fill the first three spots of the starting rotation, no Ohtani means that two slots are open, and negotiating a new deal with CC Sabathia should be among Brian Cashman’s first priorities.

Sabathia is 37-years-old but he was one of New York’s best starters last season, leading the team with 14 wins while providing invaluable clubhouse leadership.

Without Sabathia, the Yankees wouldn’t have made it as far as they did and he’s more than capable of filling one of the final rotation spots.

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The Yankees are stacked with talent in their lineup and bullpen. Setting up the starting rotation is still a work in progress but the pitchers that will fill the front part of the rotation have what it takes to set the back part up for success.