Starting Rotation:
ESNY’s Projected Starting Rotation (numbers indicate current 2016 stats):
- Masahiro Tanaka (8-4, 3.32 ERA)
- Luis Severino (1-6, 6.02 ERA)
- Michael Pineda (6-10, 5.17 ERA)
- Nathan Eovaldi (9-8, 4.80 ERA)
- Chad Green (1-2, 4.94 ERA)
Other possible suitors: James Kaprielian, Domingo Acevedo, Adam Warren
You may be asking: Where’s CC Sabathia?
Well, he is 36-years of age and is owed $25-million next season. If his current stretch, which includes a 6.62 ERA and 11 home runs surrendered over his previous nine starts, turns into a repugnant consistency, we could very well see the big lefty released in the offseason.
SEE ALSO: Sabathia’s Latest Outing Reminds Yankees That Rebuild Must Not Stop
The Yankees tabbed the former CY Young award winner with a mere $5-million buyout and since the current blueprint includes shaving the contracts of past-their-prime veterans, this is an easy price for the ownership to bite. Other than that, the rotation for next year resembles that of this season and it should be an adequate staff, for the most part.
Tanaka would be the ace and will pitch his heart out with every start, the 22-year old Severino should be able to mature enough to put this year’s start behind him, and while Eovaldi has been inconsistent at times, he owns a 3.60 ERA since his bullpen demotion while packing an electric fastball and serving as a notorious innings eater.
Green has been unable to hold onto a roster spot whenever he is given a chance but has shown potential to earn a permanent rotation spot at some point.
In 15 starts in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Green is maintaining a 1.91 with a mere two home runs surrendered in 89.2 innings of work in the Electric City.
RELATED: Tanaka Cannot Be Trusted Long-Term
Now, this rotation does not by any means serve as a drastic improvement from the rotation that currently ranks 21 in all of Major League Baseball in earned run average but what it does do is give us a bright look towards what’s next in terms of the future.
Sure, Green has potential, but Severino and Kaprielian are young guys who are expected to anchor the next prominent Yankees’ rotation. Also, there doesn’t seem to be a free agent emerging as a “fit” for New York nor any staff.
They won’t be shutting teams out game-in and game out but the goal of every starter on the staff will be similar to that of this season and that’s to get the ball into the back-end of the bullpen.
Let’s take a look at what next year’s bullpen could shape up to be.
