New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has valued the biggest needs for this upcoming offseason and what they are should come as no surprise.
It’s well documented as to what the New York Yankees’ biggest needs are as 2017 creeps close. Brian Cashman has now encouraged Yankee-nation that he’s well aware, too.
“We’re going to go through everything,” Cashman told NJ Advance Media when asked about re-signing Aroldis Chapman. “We’ve had our pro scouting meetings. I would just tell you the areas we’d like to focus on clearly are pitching, bullpen and starting pitching.”
Good to hear if you’re a Yankees’ fan.
Over the last month of the 2016 season, the Yankees’ bullpen blew five saves, maintained the sixth-worst bullpen earned-run average in the American League (4.43) along with the second most home runs (16).
That was mostly thanks to the ineffectiveness of Dellin Betances down the stretch, as his 9.64 ERA and eight walks — the second-most he has allowed in any month of his career.
With that, there is added pressure to wheel in a dominant, proven closer in order to have no uneasiness as the 2017 approaches. Newly crowned champion Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen very well may change that anxiety, however.
Starting pitching is the second order of the day and it is, by no means, “less” critical to success than revamping the bullpen is.
It’s been well documented that the rotation that finished the 2016 season 19th in earned run average (4.44) and gave up the third-most home runs (147) needs an impact arm in there for 2017.
Behind Masahiro Tanaka (third best ERA in AL), CC Sabathia (best season since 2012) and Michael Pineda (AL Leader in K/9), Joe Girardi’s staff has three unproven kids under 25-years old competing for two spots.
In 2016, one of those kids served up an 8.50 ERA as a starter (Luis Severino), one allowed 11 home runs in nine starts (Luis Cessa) and one had his season cut short due to an elbow injury (Chad Green).
One could also debate that Pineda — who is one of six players in MLB history to strikeout more than 200 but to maintain an ERA over 4.80 — is unproven as well, but New York needs to contemplate adding an arm into the crowded mix.
From his statement above, Cashman, who discursively had a substantial effect on this year’s world series by handing the Cubs and Indians Chapman and Andrew Miller, is motivated to do the same for his Yankees in 2017.
