Yankees need stop passing on top tier pitchers

When it comes to starting pitching, one could assume the Yankees settle for pyrite, also known as fool’s gold. The list of obtainable top tier pitchers the Yankees have passed on over the last several years is astounding.

When Max Scherzer was up for grabs as a free agent in January 2015, the Washington Nationals outbid the Yankees. Eleven months later, the Arizona Diamondbacks constricted the Yanks by signing Zack Greinke.

Loyalists to the once brutally aggressive Yankee Empire that used to sign top-notch free agents at any cost without batting an eye cried out “Luxury Tax! Luxury Tax! We have to avoid the Luxury Tax!” I’ll be honest; I was one of those “loyalists” who believed it was a smart move for the Yanks to practice baseball’s version of economic austerity.

History shows it was the right move as the discipline of the Yankees helped rebuild them into a contender with gifted young exceptional talent in 2017. Except, when Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander became available before the now extinct August 31 trade deadline, “the Yankees were never in play.”

According to Newsday, Cashman said Verlander’s “contract made him a non-starter for the Yankees.” The former Cy Young award winner would later win the ALCS MVP after dominating the Yanks for Houston in two pivotal starts. Verlander would end up winning a World Series title for the Astros against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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By the way, the Dodgers ended up acquiring the Texas Rangers ace, Yu Darvish, before the 2017 trade deadline. He was another ace pitcher the Yankees had interest in but ultimately did not buy. That, surprisingly was a good move because Darvish has performed as a shell of his former self since leaving Texas.

The pitcher, the Yankees, did decide to acquire at the 2017 trade deadline was former Oakland Athletics Cy Young contender Sonny Gray. Gray’s 4.87 FIP in 2017 and 4.17 FIP in 2018 for the Yanks ran him out of town to the Cinncinati Reds.

Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild has been under immense fire this season by the fans.

While Gray did struggle for the Yankees, he was named a National League All-Star in 2019. Gray’s ERA currently sits at 3.29, while the Yankees starting pitching staff comes in at 4.55!

During the 2018 deadline, the Yanks were active in the trade market. They added Zack Britton to their bullpen, and they also continued their traditional hunt for starting pitching. The Bombers passed on Cole Hamels in favor of J.A. Happ. The Chicago Cubs traded for Hamels, and since then, Hamels pitched to a 2.36 ERA for the Cubs in 2018 and a 2.98 ERA in 2019.

The Yanks addressed their need for starting pitching by acquiring Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays and struggling Minnesota Twins veteran pitcher Lance Lynn. Happ was excellent for the Yankees in 2018, in my opinion, earned a new contract with the team in the offseason. Lynn was nothing special and signed with the Texas Rangers.

However, in 2019, Happ has struggled with a team-high 5.23 ERA and Lynn has been decent with a 3.93 ERA. Again, Lynn, who was on the team in 2018 has a 3.93 ERA in 2019, while the Yanks starting pitching staff has averaged an ERA of 4.55!

They passed on Dallas Keuchel who signed with Braves in June, and so far, Keuchel has a 3.50 ERA. During the offseason, they weren’t serious about Patrick Corbin, who now owns a 3.25 ERA for the Washington Nationals. They also passed on Cy Young candidate Charlie Morton, who signed with the Rays during the offseason. Morton’s ERA? A league-leading 2.30!

The excuse in the past for not acquiring elite starting pitching was they impacted the payroll too much. Now the explanation has been that the asking price is too high. And with the Yankees obvious struggles from their starting pitchers, teams are going to continue to increase their asking price, because they can.

With a glaring need, the Bombers have no leverage at this point. I’d be shocked if they made a deal that didn’t appear to be lopsided in favor of the team acquiring the Yanks’ haul of prospects. Will the list of missed opportunities continue to grow this trade deadline season? We’ll soon find out.