The New York Yankees had been interested in Patrick Corbin before he signed with the Washington Nationals. Where do the Yankees turn now?
On Tuesday, arguably the best starting pitcher on the free agent market, Patrick Corbin, signed with the Washington Nationals for a six-year/$140 million contract. There was talk of Corbin going to the New York Yankees, but after they refused to offer Corbin a sixth year, he wound up in the nation’s capital. Still, the Yankees are looking to add to their starting pitching corps, and there are still plenty of options on the market.
It’s worth noting that the Yankees’ starting pitching was not very bad in 2018. According to park-adjusted ERA, Yankees’ starters were 10th in baseball and in park-adjusted FIP, a statistic that attempts to disregard luck by only looking at a pitcher’s strikeouts, walks, and home runs allowed, Yankees’ starters ranked fourth in MLB. Nevertheless, starting pitching is still the weakest link of this club, as their lineup and bullpen are close to the absolute best in baseball.
The Yankees clearly are not done with their rotation after adding James Paxton from the Mariners last month. Paxton posted a 3.78 ERA in 2018 in 160.1 innings, and his peripherals suggest he was even better than that. Pairing Paxton with Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka creates a formidable trio at the top of the rotation, but the rumblings around the game suggest the Yankees aren’t satisfied yet.
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Jon Morosi of MLB Network notes that the Yankees are turning their attention to J.A. Happ and Nathan Eovaldi after missing out on Corbin. The Yankees acquired Happ midseason in 2018 and he impressed, putting up 2.69 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch, although his peripherals suggest he might have gotten a bit lucky. It’s also worth noting that Happ is entering his age-36 season, so the Yankees might be a bit nervous about offering him a multiyear deal.
Eovaldi, on the other hand, is entering his age-29 season, but he comes with a series of question marks as well. Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016, putting up rather mediocre numbers despite his high velocity readings. He missed all of 2017 after getting Tommy John Surgery near the end of the 2016 season. But in 2018, Eovaldi impressed while splitting the season between the Rays and the Red Sox with the peripherals to back it up. But Eovaldi’s history of injury and lack of success with the Yankees could give the front office pause.
It is likely that either Eovaldi or Happ would be formidable contributions to the 2019 Yankees’ rotation, but adding a good-but-not-great starter wouldn’t elicit too much excitement for Yankees’ fans. With Corbin off the market, Dallas Keuchel is now clearly the best free agent pitcher available. Keuchel hasn’t quite lived up to his 2015 Cy Young season, but he has remained a very solid pitcher for the Astros. While the Yankees have not been linked to Keuchel, their financial flexibility and interest in starting pitching help clearly make it a reasonable fit.
It is always possible that the New York Yankees spend some of their prospect capital on acquiring an ace like Madison Bumgarner or Noah Syndergaard on the trade market. But maybe the best move for the Yankees is to stand pat after the Paxton trade. Even without another addition, the Yankees might be the most talented team in baseball. It is difficult to say a 100-win team underperformed, but with players like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Luis Severino producing less than expected in 2018, it is possible that the true powerhouse team emerges in 2019.