Call to the pen
Fansided

New York Yankees rumors: Seven possible starting pitching options this offseason

By Paul Ashley

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts as he pitches to the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game Two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts as he pitches to the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game Two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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New York Yankees
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 3: Luis Severino #40 of the New York Yankees celebrates his inning ending strike out during the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Following an awful performance by the pitching of the New York Yankees during game 3 of the ALDS, it is clear that the organization needs to focus on pitching upgrades during the upcoming offseason.

The New York Yankees were able to win 100 games during the regular season despite a rookie manager and a slew of injuries, but their starting pitching continues to be a question mark.

Following a 4-game sweep against the Boston Red Sox in early August, it was clear that the Bronx Bombers would eventually end up in the Wild Card game.  This likely outcome spurred a discussion over the last two months of the season about who should start the pivotal one game playoff.

However, the unreliable starting staff of the Yankees caused most everyone to change their minds on a regular basis.  As the season came to an end, there was even speculation that the team may use their strong bullpen to pitch the entire game as the starting pitching is so inconsistent.

Nonetheless, manager Aaron Boone decided to pick Luis Severino to start the Wild Card game with the hopes that the Oakland Athletics would not be able to handle his velocity.  Even though it worked as the Yankees won the Wild Card game (and have one victory so far in the ALDS), their starting pitching has remained inconsistent in the postseason.

Through the first four playoff games, the starting pitchers have combined to pitch only 14 innings.  In these innings, the pitchers have given up 16 hits, 8 walks, and 14 earned runs.  The Athletics and Red Sox are both well above average teams, but this is still a very lackluster performance by the Yankees starting pitchers.

Although the lack of length from the starting pitchers is partly due to the very talented bullpen options available, none of the current starters can be trusted to provide length in games, as evidence by the above earned run total.  Due to this, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman needs to prioritize rebuilding the pitching staff instead of primarily focusing on position player upgrades.

The following are seven upcoming free agents that could potentially end up in a Yankees uniform prior to the start of the 2019 MLB regular season.

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