Yankees top two targets this offseason according to Jon Heyman

According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, the Yankees are targeting two pitchers this offseason to help them upgrade their starting rotation.

It should come as no surprise that 29-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin and 36-year-old left-hander J. A. Happ are two of the top names on their offseason shopping list. Yankees fans should rejoice that the team is finally their putting focus on starting pitching.

Happ was terrific last season after the Yankees acquired him from the Blue Jays at the July 31 deadline in 2018 in exchange for INF Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney. Happ went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA, striking out 63. He was a huge boost for the Yanks as they made their push to the postseason.

Corbin, a two-time All-Star had a career year in 2018 going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA and 246 K’s for the Diamondbacks. He threw 200 innings, had a WHIP of 1.05 and held opponents to a .218 AVG in 33 starts.

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Having both Happ and Corbin in next season’s rotation would be a huge boost for the Yankees and they might bring back the 38-year-old CC Sabathia as well. In 2018, CC went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA, striking out 140. He wasn’t bad this year, given his age and his chronic knee issue which forced him to undergo knee surgery on October 12, 2018.

CC was a leader in the clubhouse and was the second longest tenured Yankee on the team behind Brett Gardner (who just agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million deal). If CC does return management shouldn’t overpay to get him, however. The Bombers paid CC $10 million in 2018 on a one-year deal. If he was to return, he may need to settle for less, for around $7-8 million.

Another thing that could lead to the Yanks letting CC go far good is the impending debut of top prospect Justus Sheffield in the starting rotation. He got a September call-up towards the end of 2018 but he should be given a chance to earn a rotation spot this spring.

It will be interesting to see how the Yanks and Brian Cashman handle their business.