Yankees' rotation making loud argument that passing on Jack Flaherty was a mistake

If Carlos Rodón weren't in the midst of one of the oddest pitching seasons in franchise history, and currently riding a well-timed upswing, the Yankees' rotation would be in dire need of multiple reinforcements, watching the clock and waiting for Clarke Schmidt's return with bitten-down nails.

Instead, the Yankees' pitching staff only needs a more minor tweak, for the time being. Schmidt will, hopefully, be an effective option down the stretch. Gerrit Cole stumbled early in his return to the mound Sunday, but eventually found a groove (though the worrying warts, hard contact and grimaces haven't disappeared quite yet). Marcus Stroman, unfortunately, seems to be hiding something, as his effectiveness wanes and his fastball dips in velocity to the lowest point of his career. Hey, it happens. Cole just received a short vacation to deal with generalized fatigue. Stroman could probably use the same thing, or a harder reset.

This is typical for any rotation during the dog days of summer. That makes the trade deadline a perfect opportunity to infuse either top-tier talent or innings eaters into the mix to lighten the load.

Unfortunately, Brian Cashman didn't deliver either one of those things this past week, instead parading through the Yankee Stadium offices carrying a big banner that said, "Remember Cody Poteet? He's Alive, Technically!" (we assume).

Not adding a reliable depth piece was one thing -- nobody really wanted Rich Hill, after all. But refusing to roll the dice on Jack Flaherty in exchange for "lower-level prospects," presumably at a similar tier to the ones the Dodgers surrendered, looked bad before Flaherty debuted in Dodger Blue against the A's and Stroman continued his descent. Now, it looks like a brutal miscalculation.

Yankees should've paid Jack Flaherty price as Marcus Stroman, rotation begs for help

Flaherty's Dodgers debut -- six innings, five hits, no runs, seven strikeouts against the A's -- is not the basis for this take. He can't be expected to repeat that every outing. He navigated through some traffic nicely. Hell, he might even break down.

No, no. The basis of this take is the Yankees' glaring (and growing daily) need to give a good portion of their rotation a bit of a breather. Stroman, in particular, seems to need an annual rest in order to be in peak form down the stretch -- and that's completely ok.

It only serves to highlight how much of a shame it is, though, that Brian Cashman couldn't "match up" with Detroit, during an all-in season, while muscling up to tolerate risk.