A restructured, bold look at Yankees' 2026 Opening Day pitching staff with Carlos Lagrange

There's been a lot to talk about regarding the New York Yankees' pitching staff heading into the 2026 season. The starting rotation looks good (but imperfect) and the bullpen looks shaky. The overall depth isn't great, but there's a way to make it all work if the coaching staff and front office get creative.

We've seen various Opening Day roster projections, and the most recent from MLB.com's Bryan Hoch still leaves a lot left to be desired (and same goes for the latest projection from The Athletic). Here's who he went with for the rotation and bullpen:

Possible Yankees' 2026 Opening Day Starting Rotation

• Max Fried
• Cam Schlittler
• Will Warren
• Luis Gil
• Ryan Weathers

Possible Yankees' 2026 Opening Day Bullpen

• David Bednar
• Camilo Doval
• Fernando Cruz
• Tim Hill
• Jake Bird
• Brent Headrick
• Ryan Yarbrough
• Paul Blackburn

The sparknotes version is as follows: Cam Schlittler will be limited to begin the season; Luis Gil still hasn't harnessed his arsenal to the point where you can confidently pencil him into the rotation; Ryan Weathers hasn't proved he belongs in the rotation whatsoever; Camilo Doval isn't very good; Jake Bird could still get optioned after what we saw for most of his career; Brent Headrick is nothing but a wild card; Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn are long relief options.

The long relief options are important given the potential early-season issues with Schlittler, Gil and Weathers, but what if the Yankees constructed the pitching staff differently to better mask their problems while introducing an arm that probably deserves a chance and could actually make an early impact?

Projected Yankees' 2026 starting rotation and bullpen with Carlos Lagrange

• Max Fried
• Cam Schlittler
• Will Warren
• Carlos Lagrange
• Ryan Yarbrough

• David Bednar
• Camilo Doval
• Fernando Cruz
• Tim Hill
• Brent Headrick
• Ryan Weathers
• Luis Gil
• Paul Blackburn
• *or trade Blackburn for somebody who can slot in between Cruz/Hill

*Blackburn has been very good this spring (1.46 ERA across 12 1/3 innings), so in this case Gil/Weathers can serve as long relief options for the time being and Blackburn can be used as a trade asset to acquire a more established bullpen arm for the later innings if another team is in need of rotation help.

The ongoing starter/reliever argument surrounding Lagrange during spring can easily be mitigated here while he helps the big league club get off to a promising start in April and May. The fact of the matter is this: Langrage is very good and he will be called up at some point to assist the pitching staff.

The problem is that he's a starting pitcher, but right now the best "fit" might be in the bullpen given the team's roster holes. It makes sense, but what if Lagrange started the year in the rotation for the first few months and then eventually transitioned to the bullpen after Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return? Or, at least, until he's reaching a point where his innings need to be managed? If he can hold his own in the rotation, it'll also allow Gil and Weathers to figure out their issues in low-leverge situations out of the bullpen instead of being burdened with starts in the early going. Neither are ready yet and could benefit from an extended spring training of sorts.

The worst-case scenario is Lagrange is not good in his first few outings and needs to be sent back down, and then the Yankees can simply return to their original plan. We also wouldn't be against the Yankees attempting to see their original plan through if they were willing to promote Lagrange in the event it wasn't panning out.

Either way, the Yankees' top pitching prospect has earned something. He's thrown the most pitches over 100 MPH this spring and owns a 0.93 ERA and 0.72 WHIP across 9 2/3 innings (three games). The elephant in the room? He's pitched in just eight games at High-A and 16 at Double-A. But if he's ready, he's ready. All the Yankees would need to do is manage him properly if he begins to stumble, unlike how they've handled Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. But for the most part, they've pressed the right buttons when developing pitchers in recent years.

A move to the bullpen later on shouldn't be ruled out because the Yankees will have an overflow in the rotation (assuming there aren't injuries), Lagrange will need to have his innings limited, and the pitching staff will need all the help it can get down the stretch. So that option is on the table for all those who desire.

The way Lagrange has been talked about this spring, it feels like an inevitability that he will make his MLB debut in 2026. So if that's the case, then why not now, when he's pitching the best he ever has and can give the organization a better look with how he should be deployed later down the road?