Why one pitcher's contract all but made difficult Yankees rotation decision for them

The smartest thing for the New York Yankees to do right now is carry as much pitching as possible. Losing a potential patchwork option for nothing would be downright silly, even if said patchwork options are less than inspiring over the course of a full season.

One projected starter, Gerrit Cole (heard of him?), is down for the season. Another, Luis Gil, will purportedly be back midsummer, but it's tough to place any stake in a return timeline until we're further down the line. The Yankees finally admitted what we all knew about Clarke Schmidt on Wednesday; despite apparently escaping without serious injury, he won't be built up to 75-80 pitches by the time his rotation spot comes around, and it would probably make more sense to keep him in Florida while he builds back.

As if Schmidt's stutter step wasn't enough of a reason to keep veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco, a noteworthy stipulation in the pitcher's contract made the Yankees' decision even easier.

Carrasco can reportedly trigger an opt-out on Saturday if the Yankees don't add him to their 40-man roster before that deadline. At that point, the Yankees will have 48 hours to respond before the righty, who starts Wednesday night, becomes a free agent.

Yankees' Carlos Carrasco will be given rotation assurances ahead of contract opt-out clause

Luckily, the Yankees can create a 40-man spot in a snap by transferring Cole to the 60-Day IL list (oh, yay, great!). Given YES Network insider Jack Curry's very strong hints that the current rotation projection includes both Will Warren and Carrasco, while Schmidt recovers from his cranky back and shoulder soreness, it seems safe to assume the Yankees will accommodate the veteran, whether it takes place ahead of Saturday or in the 48-hour limbo window.

Last season, Carrasco posted a 5.64 ERA in 21 starts for the Cleveland Guardians, and he'll turn 38 years old on March 21. If there's a positive lesson to be learned there, though, it's that Cleveland still managed to breeze through the American League Central and surge through the ALDS anyhow.

The Yankees' floor has been lowered considerably after the losses of Cole and Gil, but they shouldn't be turning a blind eye to anyone who might be able to keep them afloat. Carrasco should stay (even as the Yankees undoubtedly peruse the waiver wire in the final days of spring for additional solutions).