3 Yankees trade regrets that will sting even more in 2023

2. Ken Waldichuk (and Maybe JP Sears?)

Hey, at least they’re not on a real contender! That sure would be embarrassing!

What’s that? Oakland reloads and rebuilds on a shoestring budget every two years or so? They probably will be soon? Got it. Ah, well.

So far, so good for Ken Waldichuk in two starts at the big-league level. He looks like an intriguing variation of a back-end starter. Throughout his minor-league tenure, Waldichuk has typically gassed it up and created a lot of traffic on the bases, but pumped his way out of danger with a funky combination of high-velocity fastballs and bizarre breakers.

During his two MLB starts in Oakland, the left-hander has exerted himself for 4.2 high-stress innings against Washington and 5.1 three-run innings against the Braves, but has only allowed four total earned runs, striking out eight. You might not be able to pencil in Waldichuk to a playoff rotation in 2023, but he’d be an electric innings-eater for at least 100 frames with the Yankees (and perhaps even a good piggyback option for Nestor Cortes if he need some scaling back).

JP Sears, also dealt to Oakland, is the less volatile option (in theory; he’s coming off a six-run blowup against the Chicago White Sox). It’s difficult to say the Yankees are really going to miss Sears tremendously in 2023, considering the championship version of this Yankee team would not include the left-hander in a playoff rotation. But innings must be eaten, and he’s done almost nothing but succeed since getting the big-league call in the Bronx.

Frankie Montas, you’d better be as good as two people next year!