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Yankees: 26-man roster projection for 2021 season

By Ryan Doyle

TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning during the spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Steinbrenner Field on February 24, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning during the spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Steinbrenner Field on February 24, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Marcus Stroman #0 of the New York Mets delivers (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

The Yankees welcome a familiar face to the rotation in this 2021 projection.

Starting rotation (5)

Gerrit Cole

Will 2021 be the year Yankees fans can finally witness the debut of their new ace?

Luis Severino

While he may not be ready for opening day, Severino should be a factor for most of the 2021 season. I expect New York to have one of their in-house arms fill in while he finishes his Tommy John rehab. More on those names later.

Masahiro Tanaka

Both James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka will enter free agency at the end of 2020. Although Tanaka may not have developed into a true frontline starter, his postseason performance is more than enough to justify bringing him back, at least for a few more seasons.

Marcus Stroman

The Yankees were interested in Marcus Stroman at the 2019 trade deadline but general manager Brian Cashman didn’t think he was a “difference-maker.” That difference maker was signed later that winter. He goes by the name of Gerrit Cole.

However, Stroman could be the arm that helps fill out the Yankees rotation in the long-term. If you ask me, the trio of Cole, Stroman and Severino sounds like one of the best front lines in all of baseball.

While Paxton will certainly be an option, his injury history doesn’t quite warrant a long-term commitment from the front office in this projection.

Clarke Schmidt

The next generation arrives.

Clarke Schmidt is one of the Yankees top prospects and from all indications, he could have seen his first Major League action in 2020. Alongside Deivi Garcia, Schmidt will lead the next wave of young talent to don the pinstripes.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com noted how many in the Yankees clubhouse viewed Schmidt as MLB-ready back in March. There are a handful of other names that could slide into the last spot of the rotation, which bodes well for the Yankees big league rotation depth.

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