New York Yankees rumors: Seven possible starting pitching options this offseason
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.
Although the Houston Astros have a very impressive pitching staff, they may end up getting outbid when their pitchers reach the open market.
Charlie Morton may very well be one of those pitchers to soon receive a nice payday as he will be a free agent following the 2018 postseason.
After the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Morton from the Pittsburgh Pirates, he only made 4 starts. This caused the Phillies to pay a $1,000,000 buyout instead of picking up a $9,500,000 team option. The good news for Morton is that the Houston Astros took a chance on him.
They signed the veteran pitcher to a 2 year, $14,000,000 contract (with incentives) and he has been worth every penny. In 2017, he played a large role in helping the Astros win a World Series Championship and in 2018, he earned his first ever trip to the MLB All-Star game.
In the 2017 regular season, Morton compiled a 14-7 win-loss record with a 3.62 earned run average (ERA), a 3.46 fielding independent pitching (FIP), and a 1.193 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). He also pitched 146.2 innings, which were the most he has compiled since pitching 157.1 innings in 2014.
Morton also put together a 3.26 strikeout-to-walk (SO/W) ratio in 2017 to set a new career high. His 163 strikeouts were also a new career high until the 2018 season.
In the 2018 regular season, Morton compiled a 15-3 record with a 3.13 ERA, a 3.59 FIP, and a 1.162 WHIP. Through 167.0 innings, he struck out 201 batters compared to 64 walks. Although his SO/W ratio dipped a bit to 3.14, his 201 strikeouts are an impressive new career high.
Throughout his 30 starts in 2018, Morton put together 18 quality starts. He allowed 2 runs or less in 20 of his starts (2 starts were shortened at the end of the season for rest purposes). He also only allowed more than 3 runs on four occasions with two 6 run outings, one 5 run outing, and one 4 run outing.
Morton has a good amount of experience in the postseason with both the Pirates and the Astros as well. He has pitched a combined 29.0 innings in the playoffs with 23 hits, 10 walks, and 13 runs allowed.
Outside of a poor performance against the New York Yankees in the ALCS last season, he has been very solid in the postseason. If the stats against the Yankees are removed, he would have a combined 20.1 innings pitched against the St Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers. In those innings, he gave up only 15 hits, 7 walks, and 6 runs.
Between his postseason experience, and his ability to produce quality starts, Morton would be a great addition to a Yankees rotation that often lacks consistency.
Despite a poor start in a postseason game at Fenway Park, this veteran left-hander would be a great option to return to the rotation in 2019.
Although J.A. Happ is currently part of the blame for why the New York Yankees are in a 2-1 deficit in the ALDS, he is an incredibly talented left-handed starting pitcher. In 2018, Happ compiled a 17-6 record with a 3.65 ERA, a 3.98 FIP, and a 1.131 WHIP between 177.2 innings with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Yankees.
During his time in Toronto, Happ pitched to a 10-6 record with a 4.18 ERA, a 3.85 FIP, and a 1.175 WHIP. Through 20 starts, he put together 8 quality starts. Although this is not as impressive as the amount of quality starts Morton put together, the Blue Jays were not a very good team this season.
After Happ joined the Yankees in late July, he made 11 starts. As the Yankees are a stronger overall team, this helped Happ put together 7 quality starts with his new team. This is the kind of pitcher that the team needs throughout the season to save the bullpen and take the constant pressure of needing more runs off of the offense.
Even though Happ recently gave up 5 runs in only 2.0 innings of work against the Boston Red Sox in game one of the ALDS, this should not deter Brian Cashman from resigning the veteran pitcher. This performance should not solely be put on Happ as it is very difficult to make numerous starts in a short time frame against a team, despite any history of success against that team.
Game 1 of the ALDS took place on October 5th and Happ faced the Red Sox at Fenway Park as recently as September 28th. He also pitched against the Red Sox at Yankees Stadium on September 18th and had two other starts against them this season while he was a member of the Blue Jays.
Managers often want to avoid starting pitchers pitching to a lineup for the 4th time in one game while sometimes wanting to avoid the lineup a 3rd time in one game. As Happ recently faced the Red Sox while the Yankees were trying to clinch home-field advantage for the Wild Card game, he basically started game 1 of the ALDS going through their lineup for the 3rd/4th time.
Nonetheless, if the Yankees are able to force a game 5, they will undoubtedly go with Happ. If Happ can be trusted for this potential, monumental game, he should be a top priority to be re-signed as we already know he can handle pitching in pinstripes.
As previously mentioned, Charlie Morton will be a free agent this offseason. He will not be the only Houston Astros starting pitcher on the market as one of their longest tenured players will also become available.
Dallas Keuchel was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 7th round of the 2009 draft. After being called up in 2012, he has been a mainstay on the Astros major league roster. However, the two-time All-Star (2015, 2017) with a World Series Championship (2017) will reach free agency for the first time.
During the 2018 season, Keuchel put together a 12-11 record with a 3.74 ERA, a 3.69 FIP, and a 1.314 WHIP. Aside from only making 23 starts in 2017, Keuchel has made at least 26 starts in each of the seasons that he has only been a starting pitcher. This includes the 34 starts he made this season in which he compiled 204.2 innings pitched.
Within those 34 starts, he made 20 quality starts. He only allowed more than 3 runs in 8 starts and he only pitched less than 5.0 innings in 2 starts.
Keuchel has also compiled 8 postseason appearances. During those appearances, he holds a 4-2 record, a 3.24 ERA and a 1.152 WHIP. This includes a 6.0 innings pitched, 0 earned run effort in a Wild Card game against the New York Yankees in 2015 and a 5.2 innings pitched, 1 earned run effort in an ALDS game against the Boston Red Sox in 2017.
This postseason, Keuchel helped the Astros return to the ALCS after he pitched 5.0 innings with only 2 earned runs allowed against the Cleveland Indians. Keuchel will turn 31 years old prior to the 2019 season, so he will most likely be looking for a longer contract than Morton and Happ.
However, as the Yankees front office worked hard to get under the luxury tax line prior to the 2018 season, money may not be an issue if it means significantly upgrading the starting rotation. Due to this, alongside Keuchel’s regular season and postseason success, he could be a strong option for the Yankees (if he is willing to shave off his beard, that is).
Even though this left-handed starting pitcher will be entering his 12th MLB season in 2019 with 1814.0 innings pitched throughout his career, he will only be 33 years old.
Gio Gonzalez was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers following a lackluster season with the Washington Nationals. During his time with the Brewers, he returned to form and played a nice role in helping his team win the NL Central division.
Through 27 starts with the Nationals in 2018, Gonzalez went 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA, a 4.25 FIP, and a 1.531 WHIP. Through 5 starts with the Brewers, he went 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA, a 3.63 FIP, and a 0.947 WHIP.
During 2018, Gonzalez only pitched less than 5.0 innings on 8 occasions in his 32 starts. 2 of these occasions came during his time with the Brewers where they are not shy to turn the game over to their powerful bullpen.
Gonzalez also compiled 11 quality starts while throwing over 100 pitches 12 different times. Prior to the 2009 season, the Yankees signed another veteran left-handed starting pitcher who spent time with the Brewers before reaching free agency. Although CC Sabathia was a bona-fide Ace when he signed with the Yankees, Gonzalez could be a great option to provide stability to the rotation.
Gonzalez was able to pitch in the postseason in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017 while he was a member of the Nationals. Through 26.1 innings pitched, he has a 4.78 ERA and a 1.481 WHIP.
Even if Gonzalez only pitches as well as the current Sabathia next season, the Yankees are in desperate need of starting pitchers with the ability to put up a nice amount of innings with consistent performances.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are not afraid to spend big on starting pitching, however, they may not be able to retain a player that made his debut with the team in 2012.
Patrick Corbin was born in Clay, New York, which is located a little over 250 miles from Yankees Stadium. He attended high school and college in New York, before eventually transferring to a college in Florida. Although he was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2009, he made his way to the Diamondbacks in a trade for Dan Haren.
Following an impressive 2013 season in which Corbin earned an All-Star selection, he missed the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. Corbin pitched 85.0 innings in 2015 before increasing to 155.2 innings pitched in 2016 and 189.2 innings pitched in 2017. In 2018, he compiled exactly 200 innings pitched.
Alongside the impressive number of innings pitched, Corbin compiled an 11-7 record with a 3.15 ERA, a 2.47 FIP, and a 1.050 WHIP. This is a very impressive season for the 29-year-old left-hander and he even earned his second All-Star appearance.
Through his 33 starts, he compiled 19 quality starts. He only allowed more than 3 earned runs on 7 occasions. He allowed 4 earned runs four times, 5 earned runs two times, and 6 earned runs one time. Corbin made 6 starts in which he allowed 0 earned runs and pitched 7.0 innings or more in 8 starts.
Despite not having any postseason experience, Corbin will have a long list of suitors this upcoming offseason. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will likely receive the two highest contracts this offseason, but Corbin could very well receive the third highest contract.
Corbin could also very well be the Yankees best chance at obtaining a legitimate Ace starting pitcher this offseason that they hoped to have when they signed Masahiro Tanaka and when Luis Severino had an excellent first-half.
This left-handed starting pitcher has spent 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the team will likely match or outspend any other team to retain the perennial All-Star, players are often okay with a change of scenery for the right situation.
Clayton Kershaw is the only player that could potentially reach free agency that would take attention away from Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Patrick Corbin. Nonetheless, he has the option to become a free agent if he opts out of the remaining years of his contract.
During the 2018 season, he only compiled a 9-5 record through 26 starts and his ERA was well above his career average. However, when your career average is a 2.39 ERA, a 2.73 ERA in 2018 is nothing to be ashamed about.
Through 161 innings, Kershaw also compiled a 3.19 FIP and a 1.041 WHIP. His career FIP is 2.64 and his career WHIP is 1.005. Kershaw is a once in a generation pitcher that will only turn 31 years old prior to the 2019 season.
He also has 25 career postseason appearances in which he has totalled an 8-7 record with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.046 WHIP through 130.0 innings pitched. More recently, he pitched against the Atlanta Braves a few days ago in the NLDS. In this appearance, he was completely dominant as he compiled 8.0 innings with 2 hits, 0 walks, and 0 runs allowed.
Although it is likely that Kershaw would return to the Los Angeles Dodgers if he opts out of his contract, the New York Yankees would most likely be the only team that could offer more money than the Dodgers if Kershaw was looking for the biggest payday.
Even though the Yankees front office wants to operate on a lower payroll than they have been accustomed to in recent memory, they would undoubtedly break the bank for a future hall of fame pitcher in Kershaw.
It has not been confirmed if this starting pitcher will retire or return next season, but if he does, the New York Yankees will likely be the only destination he would consider.
CC Sabathia has compiled 18 years of experience in the MLB and he will turn 39 years old midway through the 2019 season. Nonetheless, Sabathia is still a very productive starting pitcher.
Through 29 starts in 2018, Sabathia compiled a 9-7 record with a 3.65 ERA, a 4.16 FIP, and a 1.314 WHIP. Throughout his career, he has averaged a 3.70 ERA, a 3.72 FIP, and a 1.254 WHIP.
Although his numbers have dropped off from the time he won a Cy Young award in 2007, he is still a very productive starting pitcher. Throughout his 29 starts this season, Sabathia only allowed more than 3 earned runs on 6 occasions.
Sabathia also compiled an impressive 11 quality starts and will be counted on by the Yankees to pitch in game 4 of the ALDS with the entire season on the line. It is an easy decision to go with CC for this game as he consistently performs at his best following a Yankees loss.
Sabathia also has 23 games of experience in the postseason. During these games, he holds a 10-6 record with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.528 WHIP. He also won the ALCS MVP award in 2009 when he went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP against the Los Angeles Angels.
He is also a clubhouse favorite that provides a very important veteran presence in the clubhouse. He even recently lost out on a $500,000 bonus after he threw at a Tampa Bay Rays batter in response to his catcher, Austin Romine, getting a pitch thrown at his head in the same game. With only 2.0 innings remaining to get the half a million dollar bonus, Sabathia was ejected as backing up a teammate meant more to him than a bonus.
Due to this, if Sabathia wants to return to the Bronx for another season, it is very likely he will be welcomed back with open arms by the Yankees as they currently need to fill out three rotation spots for next season if Sonny Gray does not return.
Domingo German, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams, and Jordan Montgomery will potentially be internal options for the rotation, but the team will likely prefer to bring in established pitchers with these four as backup options.
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If Sabathia is re-signed, the New York Yankees could very well be looking to bring in two of the first six starters named before CC on this list. Although signing even one of these starters would cost quite a bit of money, the Yankees front office is not shy at spending money when it would drastically improve the team. They showed this in 2009 when they signed Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and AJ Burnett during the same offseason.
The team could look at cheaper options through trades, however, when most trade talks start with an opposing general manager asking for Adams, Sheffield, Miguel Andujar, and/or Gleyber Torres, it is very difficult for Brian Cashman to trade for a difference maker at this point. Due to this, keeping the young talent and choosing to sign top-tier free agent starting pitching would likely be the best option for this team.