Yankees: In search of their next great starting pitcher

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Yankees (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The Yankees have a ton of offensive firepower; however, starting pitching continues to be a question mark. Will their next top of the rotation arm come from within, via trade or free agency?

The next great Yankees starter may very well be second-year shooter, Jordan Montgomery. Should the lanky left-hander pitch the way he did on Saturday against the Blue Jays (six innings of four-hit ball, while allowing one run and striking out five), those Andy Pettitte comparisons may come to fruition.

However, for the sake of this article, I’m in search of a pitcher not currently on the Yanks’ 25-man roster.

For those that are still peeved at general manager, Brian Cashman, that he failed to pull the trigger on acquiring a starter this past offseason, it’s time to look ahead.

The fact of the matter is if Cash did bring in someone like Gerrit Cole or Michael Fulmer, then Montgomery would have either been sent to the bullpen or worse, Triple-A. Stunting Monty’s growth would have been counterproductive, considering he was a real success story from the 2017 season.

After bringing back CC Sabathia for one-year, $10 million, trading three top 10 prospects for Sonny Gray and watching Masahiro Tanaka opt-in to the final three years, $67 million on his contract, where were the Yankees to go after taking the Astros to Game 7 of the ALCS?

At 11-9, there is a ton of baseball yet to be played. Hopefully, Sabathia stays healthy, Tanaka and Gray figure out what ails them and Monty continues to mature. The question is, where do the Yankees go if even one of their question marks turns into an absolute dud?

In-house options

When the bats are fully awake from the bitterly cold spring, they’ll undoubtedly take a bit of pressure off of the starting five. Of course, patience isn’t something that runs rampant in New York.

So let’s take an early look at some pitchers, both down on the farm and those that are in the final year of their contracts that could be had to strengthen the Yankees potentially — even if some of them aren’t realistic targets until 2019.

Chance Adams — Triple-A: 0-1 with a 4.85 ERA and 15:8 K:BB ratio in 13 innings.

Justus Sheffield — Double-A: 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 22:10 K:BB ratio in 16 innings.

Dillon Tate — Double-A: 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 15:2 K:BB ratio in 15 innings.

Jonathan Loaisiga — High-A: 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and a 19:1 K:BB ratio in 15 innings.

Chance Adams has yet to bounce back from a dreadful spring, as the 23-year-old is allowing opponents to hit a robust .320 against him. Having tossed 4.1 innings of five-hit, three-run ball in his last start, Adams’ confidence is shaken.

Although Adams has done little to warrant a promotion to the New York, with so many injuries at the big league level, he may very well be one of those players that is stagnant in the minors and needs a new challenge (ala Gary Sanchez).

I understand that scouts feel Adams still needs to develop a consistent third-pitch, but Luis Severino once required the same thing, and that’s worked out pretty well. Adams’ fastball maxes out in the mid-90s, which doesn’t play well when it stays flat.

Perhaps Larry Rothschild, who has a track record of getting very best out of young shooters can impart some wisdom on the Yanks’ No. 6 prospect.

If you take scouts at their word, Justus Sheffield is the primary name of this bunch they fully expect to grow into a No. 2 or No. 3 type starter in the majors.

Still just 21, Sheffield could continue his fast track to the Bronx if he pitches like he did last Thursday when he struck out eight over six innings of work, allowing two runs on six hits. Sheffield is currently ranked second in the Eastern League with 22 strikeouts.

Lower-level risers

Dillon Tate worked all offseason to refine his three-pitch arsenal (fastball, slider and changeup), and so far, it has proved successful. Tate is getting ahead early in counts, spotting the fastball around the strike zone with pinpoint control before unleashing last season’s go-to pitch, the slider, for the punch-out.

Holding the opposition to a .157 batting average, Tate will look to keep up his early promise if he expects a promotion to Triple-A Scranton, sometime this summer. The Yankees’ No. 11 prospect continues his renaissance since coming over from the Rangers in the Carlos Beltran deal.

At 23, Jonathan Loaisiga is older than your traditional High-A shooter. Following his release from the Giants organization in late 2015, the Yankees picked him up the following spring.

Since coming to the Yanks, the right-handed native of Nicaragua has looked poised to make up for lost time. Ranked third in strikeouts and seventh in ERA in the Florida State League, Loaisiga recently struck out nine batters in five innings of two-run ball.

At 5’11” and 165 lbs, Loaisiga’s size and three-pitch repertoire (fastball, curveball and changeup) may eventually play better out of the ‘pen, but for now, he’s moving up the Yanks’ prospects board, coming in at No. 14.

Unfortunately, there is no Albert Abreu or Domingo Acevedo currently on this list because both are on the DL and will need extra time to work themselves into shape. As the season chugs along, we’ll also keep an eye on right-handers Luis Medina, Freicer Perez and Trevor Stephan, among others.

Still, questions remain if the Yankees do indeed have a No. 1 or No. 2 type shooter within their minor league system, which may lead them to look outside the organization for reinforcements.

Outside options

Dallas Kuechel: 1-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 25:12 K:BB ratio in 29 innings.

Patrick Corbin: 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 36:5 K:BB ratio in 27.1 innings.

Michael Fulmer: 1-2 with a 3.47 ERA and 13:6 K:BB ratio in 23.1 innings.

As you can see, I didn’t mention Clayton Kershaw — one, because that means he would need to opt-out of the remaining two years, $70.1 million remaining on his current deal. And two, even if he does, I don’t see Kershaw actually leaving the Dodgers.

Doing so would forever alter his Sandy Koufax-like legacy — and besides, who is going to pay a 30-year-old with an increasing back issue $300 million? The Dodgers, that’s who.

With the Astros’ offseason acquisition of Gerrit Cole, Dallas Keuchel has been bumped down to No. 3 in the pecking order (Justin Verlander is the clear No. 1). However, Keuchel likely expects to be paid like a No. 1 this winter.

Keuchel rebounded nicely in 2017, following his surprising 9-12, 4.55 ERA campaign the season prior. The thing that has yet to be answered about Keuchel, though, is if he will ever regain the type of form that earned him the 2015 AL Cy Young Award?

Certainly, that left-handed shooter is deserving of a $120 million-plus deal.

Keuchel was up and down during the Postseason last year and has done little get out of the gate with positive affirmation this April.

With CC Sabathia expected to move on after the 2018 season, adding Keuchel at a reasonable price would offer the Yankees two robust, yet considerably different left-handers in the starting rotation (Monty being the other).

Of course, no one is saying the Astros won’t re-sign Keuchel, especially if they get wind of any Yankee interest. Only time will tell.

Repeated interest

Patrick Corbin, whom the Yankees have had interest in since 2016, could be the hottest name on the trade block come July — unless of course, the Diamondbacks keep up on their current 15-6 record.

Another southpaw, Corbin has always had immense talent but struggled to harness it prior to Tommy John surgery in 2014. The 28-year-old Syracuse native recently tossed a complete game shutout versus the Giants, allowing one hit (none through the first 7.2 innings) while striking out eight.

As we know, TJ surgery recipients come with their own set of stipulations. And while it’s a gamble to ink one to a longterm deal (what pitcher isn’t?), should Corbin repeat the 189 innings he tossed in 2017, he’ll likely have as much upside as Dallas Keuchel, with a much lower price tag.

Although the Tigers are currently exceeding expectations at 9-11, they likely won’t play .500 ball deep into the season. And as they continue their rebuild, many expect that Michael Fulmer could be had, though, his asking price will rival what the Yankees gave up for Sonny Gray.

Considering the concerns over Fulmer’s balky right elbow, the fact that Gray hasn’t exactly paid off dividends since coming to the Bronx and whether or not Fulmer is anything more than a No.3 on a quality club, the Yanks should tread lightly.

Next: Larry Rothschild's time has come to exit stage left

Other free-agent-to-be names that may become available as we head into the summer months include, Gio Gonzalez, Matt Harvey, Brandon McCarthy, JA Happ, Marco Estrada, Garrett Richards, Lance Lynn, Adam Wainwright, Drew Pomeranz and Charlie Morton.

Aside from Kuechel, Corbin and Fulmer, I’m not convinced any of these guys are any better than what the Yanks currently have.

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