Yankees: 26-man roster projection for 2021 season

Breaking down the Yankees pitchers in this 26-man roster projection.

Following the Gerrit Cole signing, it looked like the Yankees rotation was set. The team was ready to make another run at a World Series. And then Severino underwent Tommy John Surgery and Paxton went under the knife to solve a back issue.

Quickly, the Yankees rotation was a liability, at least for a little while. Heading into next season, Cashman will look to solve the pitching conundrum once and for all.

With Severino likely back for most of the 2021 season, Cole ready to go and the return of Tanaka, one more arm will complete the puzzle.

As much as Paxton endeared himself to the fans after his gritty Game 5 performance in the ALCS a year ago, his health may be too much of a question mark. In this scenario, Cashman decides to go with former Blue Jays star Marcus Stroman.

The Yankees were admittedly interested in him last year but didn’t view him as an ace. Now that New York has its top pitcher, Stroman will be a perfect fit in the rotation. His age is also a plus, he is two years younger than Paxton and Tanaka, so investing in him now is a more appealing option.

Now, another pair of notable names are absent from this rotation, Domingo German and Jordan Montgomery. German will likely still miss a good chunk of games next season due to his suspension, even if baseball returns for a shortened season in 2020.

For Montgomery, he certainly could be an option as one of the final starters but he doesn’t have the upside that Schmidt or Garcia has. Montgomery does have two years of minor league options left according to FanGraphs, so he will sit in Triple-A in this projection.

When it comes to the bullpen. The big addition of Stroman in free agency will force the Yankees to run it back in the bullpen. However, Loaisiga’s transition to the bullpen could be viewed as a major acquisition. The young flamethrower could be one of the team’s best weapons next year.

On the bubble

Deivi Garcia

Schmidt and Garcia are probably neck and neck at this point. Garcia flew through the Yankees’ minor league system last season and could play a factor in 2020 as well. Look out for him to sneak into the rotation as well next year.

Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery has a great chance to stay in the rotation next season but some talented arms in the minors jump him in this projection.

Various bullpen arms: Jonathan Holder, Luis Cessa, Nick Nelson

There are plenty of intriguing names that could fill out the Yankees bullpen. Here are three that are definitely in play to fill the long man and other low leverage roles in the pen.