Adam Warren
Warren, no matter what Cashman says about his rotation status, has made his money in the long-relief role.
Over his five-year career, the 29-year old owns a 3.88 ERA and a 6.6 K/9 ratio as a starter compared to 3.51 ERA and 8.0 K/9 ratio as a reliever.
However, in 2015, after making his way onto the 25-man roster as the fifth starter, Warren made 17 starts and went 6-6 with a 3.66 ERA including a strikeout per nine innings rate of 6.3. Notably, his strikeout rate was 9.4 that year out of the ‘pen.
Now, the reason why he’s considered, by many, to be an afterthought in this competition is because of not only the better numbers in a long-relief role, but because his versatility may be too valuable to lock into one spot.
The Yankees have the ability to constantly shift Warren, who’s experienced in this swing role, back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen without the need to hold any of the younger kid’s hands as they learn to conform to life in that sort of role.
