4 Unforgivable mistakes the Yankees could make this offseason

2. Failing to Bring in Two Veteran Starters

The Yankees need two veteran starters. Whoever you like.

Admittedly, this one is easier said than done. The free agent market for veteran starters seems lighter than ever this year, and the Yankees can’t really afford a massive splurge. Trevor Bauer makes little to no sense, Marcus Stroman has returned to the Mets on a one-year deal, and that’s…well, those are the big names who haven’t already been here. Even Mike Minor’s already gone!

But if the Yanks enter 2021 attempting to “lean on the kids” to fill out the rotation, that would be a massive mistake. You’ve lived through a baseball season. Before you know it, you’ve got your eighth option starting a mid-April game, wondering how in the world so many people can get injured so quickly. So, who do you want your fill-in to be? Someone with the pedigree of Clarke Schmidt, or someone from Double-A who’s just excited to see the bright lights in person?

A rotation of Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Domingo German, Deivi Garcia, Jordan Montgomery, and Schmidt could be nice, in theory, if all those players have developed and hit their peak. But when you pair growing pains with potential actual pains, and these six are also the last line of defense, then it will become clear you’re not taking winning seriously.

Masahiro Tanaka could come back, theoretically. So could James Paxton on another “prove it” deal. The Yanks are showing interest in fellow Japanese veteran Tomoyuki Sugano, who’s also about to be posted. Garrett Richards has been an oft-discussed target. I could be convinced that any two options are the correct decision.

But I can’t be convinced that standing pat and banking on the kids, as Buck Showalter has suggested, would be prudent.