The New York Yankees still have some holes to fill as the offseason begins to wind down which could be filled by digging in the free agent market.
The offseason almost at its conclusion and while the New York Yankees have made a few moves, they still have a few holes that could be filled by looking into the free agent market.
So far, they have made some moves which included signing Aroldis Chapman, trading Brian McCann to Houston, and signing their new designated hitter in the form of Matt Holliday.
The lineup does look like it is complete, but they could still do some work in their pitching area, the starting rotation in particular.
As of now, the Yankees only have three names officially penciled in for their rotation, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda. Good seasons should be expected once again from Tanaka and Sabathia while Pineda is just Pineda.
They do have options to fill the final two rotation spots which include Luis Severino, Luis Cessa, Chad Green and Bryan Mitchell, but none of these guys are reliable enough as of now to give it a full season in a major-league rotation.
While they may decide to just stick what they already have to fill some open holes in the roster, let’s take a look at how they can go about this by digging into the free agent market:
Doug Fister
The first free agent candidate who could fill a role in the Yankees rotation is Doug Fister, who is coming off a down year with the Houston Astros.
In 2016, Fister started 32 games and went 12-13 with a 4.64 ERA while striking out 115 batters. These stats are certainly not too great, but this is not the type of performance the right-hander has experienced throughout his career, he has a recent track record of success.
When averaging the 32-year old’s stats from 2012 to 2015, he went 45-32 with a 3.38 ERA and 6.05 K/9. These are the numbers the Yankees should hope from Fister if they do decide to give him a one or two-year deal to join the bombers.
He is also a veteran presence who could provide instruction to the surplus of young hurlers the Yankees plan on having on the roster for 2017.
There is no denying the Yankees need rotation support and who better to fill that gap than a veteran with a long track record of success who is only commanding a one year deal?
Luke Hochevar
With the signing of Aroldis Chapman. the Yankees have solidified themselves once again as having one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. However, one aspect of their pen that they are still lacking depth in is their middle relief.
Here are some of the Yankees mid relievers from 2016:
- Anthony Swarzak 5.90 ERA
- Kirby Yates 5.40 ERA
- Chasen Shreve 5.33 ERA
- Nick Goody 4.23 ERA
They just could not find the bridge to lead them from the fifth or sixth inning to the back end of their bullpen. Luke Hochevar could be the answer to those mid relief struggles for 2017.
In 2016 with Kansas City, Hochevar had a 3.86 ERA in 40 appearances with a 9.6 K/9. His season was cut short in August due to thoracic outlet syndrome which he got surgery for and should be healthy prior to spring training.
Since he will be coming off an injury, the price tag and years will not be very high for a reliever who has a proven track record of success and can be an innings eater for a spot in the Yankees bullpen where they could use some depth.
Free Agent #3: Tim Lincecum
Hold on Yankee fans, before you snap your computer screen in half, just hear me out for a second. Tim Lincecum had a horrific few starts with the Los Angeles Angels, but the Yankees should still give him a shot.
After posting a 9.16 ERA in nine starts with the Angels, many teams are not looking to acquire the former Cy Young award winner. However, the Yankees should at least give “The Freak” an invite to Spring Training and give him an opportunity to earn a rotation spot.
What really hurt Lincecum in the 2016 season was signing so late, causing him to miss a full Spring Training to help get back in the baseball mode and regain a feel for his stuff. He was just thrown into the Angels rotation after just a few minor league outings, which must have been tough.
The Yankees are in the market for starting pitching and it couldn’t hurt at all to at least give the two-time Cy Young award winner an invite to Spring Training and see if he can rediscover his magic for a very low risk and a potential very high reward.
OMG are you kidding me? The Yankees have 4 young and talented arms competing for 2 spots. They have another half-a-dozen upper echelon prospects that are a year or two away. In my opinion, the signings you suggest would only get in the way of progress.