Perhaps it’s time for Yankees prospect Chance Adams

As the Yankees contemplate who should fill the final slot in their starting rotation, the one name you haven’t heard much of is uber-prospect Chance Adams. At 23, the same age as Luis Severino, perhaps Adams is the answer.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know that many of our contributors have been urging the Yankees to bring back CC Sabathia for one more season, to round out the starting rotation.

Indeed, the big fella far exceeded expectations in 2017, and had it not been for a few weeks’ stay on the disabled list, Sabathia would have definitely improved upon his 14-5 record.

But at 37, with all the question marks his body brings to the table for the long haul of an entire season, is CC’s return really the best option, considering this is a club still trying to get younger.

No doubt, Sabathia is a much-needed veteran presence that the Yanks will benefit from moving forward. However, in my estimation, anything more than $12 million for one season, carries with it too much risk.

Obviously, I’m playing a bit of devil’s advocate here, since I too have written that the club would be wise to consider bringing back the 2007 AL Cy Young award winner.

Yet, in order to be transparent, I must be objective. Taking leadership ability out of the equation, since much of this should come from the new manager, Aaron Boone, it might be a better investment for the Yankees to call up their No. 2 prospect, Chance Adams.

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In 2017, first at Double-A Trenton and then Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Adams combined for a 15-5 record, 2.69 ERA, 1.078 WHIP and 135:58 K:BB ratio in 150.1 innings pitched.

While minor league numbers aren’t always the best picture of future big league success, as of now, it’s all we have to go on.

Scouts have raved about Adams’ ability to mix his pitches with pinpoint control and varying speed.

Though Adams’ fastball lacks a lot of late movement, it still sits in the mid-90s, while his slider has a ton of bite, especially when thrown in succession with his fading changeup.

With his “average” curveball, Adams makes the most of his bulldog mentality, attacking batters at the on-set of each at-bat.

Next: Moves the Yanks should make this offseason

Though Adams will need to work on his 3.5 BB/9 if he wishes to break camp with the big league team, having pitching coach Larry Rothschild work with the emerging 23-year-old makes much more sense than signing an overpriced, average shooter like Lance Lynn, Jamie Garcia or Jhoulys Chacin.