With the most recent move made by the New York Yankees, it is safe to say the Bronx Bombers easily have the best bullpen in baseball, and their relatives from Queens have the best rotation in baseball.
By Aniello Piro
The history of dominant pitching in New York is a great one.
Names like Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, Andy Pettitte, Tom Seaver, Mariano Rivera, and Al Leiter have all dominated and thrived in the New York spotlight.
It now seems that a new wave of greatness is poised to take over the Big Apple.
Names like Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller are ready to write a new chapter in the book of New York Sports.
It was already known coming into the year that the New York Mets had the best pitching staff in baseball. With no pitcher under the age of 27 after the All-Star break, the Mets are poised to make baseball history, and possibly have one of the greatest pitching staffs of all time.
Across town in the Bronx, the New York Yankees pitchers are slowly building a reputation for themselves, and may have solidified that Monday.
Source: Yankees are on the verge of acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Reds.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) December 28, 2015
.@AChapman_105, @DBetances50 and @a_miller48 combined for a 1.70 ERA with 347 Ks in 212 2/3 innings in 2015. pic.twitter.com/Ce3mLz5ooY
— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) December 28, 2015
The only word to describe Yankees bullpen is wow.
Betances, Miller and Chapman combined for 212 IPs, 347 Ks, and 14.7 Ks per 9 IP in 2015.
“Best bullpen in baseball” said MLB Network analyst Dan Plesac.
The same case could be made for the guys in Queens.
The Mets have elite, young, and raw starting pitching. When Zack Wheeler comes back, the Amazins’ will be sending out an ace per game. With a starting rotation valued at $1 billion dollars, the boys from Queens are staked from head to toe with pitching.
The Yanks bullpen is their version of the Mets starting pitching staff. It looks like it may work out well with three elite pitchers in the bullpen, and two of which are set to be good for years to come.
There is speculation with the acquisition of Chapman that the Yankees would try to flip Andrew Miller. This would be a foolish mistake for the Bombers.
The Yankees need starting pitching, but why sacrifice your core of relief pitchers to get a starter? The Yanks can trade some of their older veterans or develop a younger pitcher to fix their need, while keeping their relievers in tact. The blueprint to winning baseball is good pitching and hitting for average, and the Yankees now have both.
The Yankees and Mets are both contenders in their respective leagues, and now share something in common.
Baseball always has and always will be king in New York, and now for the first time in a long time both teams in the city are contending for championships led by dominant pitching.
Which team has the most intimidating pitching? You decide.