Yankees: The Quest for Starting Pitchers Just Got Narrower

On Thursday, the Red Sox officially announced that they have re-signed postseason hero Nathan Eovaldi. Widely considered one of the Yankees top targets, where do the “Bronx Bombers”  find starting pitchers now?

With Patrick Corbin deciding to take his talents to Washington D.C. earlier this week, and Nathan Eovaldi re-signing with the Red Sox, the Yankees are left with a narrow field of starting pitchers to go after.

First, there’s J.A. Happ, whom the Yankees acquired at the trade deadline last season. There is no denying that Happ has gotten better with age, but after the Yanks re-signed CC Sabathia, you have to wonder how many championship teams fielded two starting pitchers age 36 and older? I certainly can’t think of any.

There are some things that are attractive about Happ, namely that he seemed to shine under the bright lights of Broadway. In 11 starts for the Yankees, Happ posted a 2.69 ERA and 1.052 WHIP. His FIP (4.21) in New York wasn’t so great, however, an indicator that he received plenty of help from the Yankee defense.

Indians focus

Then, there are Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber, whom the Cleveland Indians have made very clear are on the block. In order to obtain one of those arms, you may have to take on the salary of Jason Kipnis or Edwin Encarnacion, each of whom is under control beyond 2019.

With Didi Gregorious having undergone Tommy John Surgery, Jason Kipnis seems to be the most attractive salary to eat in order to obtain Bauer or Kluber. Kipnis could fill in at 2B and Gleyber Torres could man SS while Didi works his way back on the field. After Didi returns, Kipnis would be a great super utility, especially given that he can play both IF and OF positions.

Bauer and Kluber are also controllable arms. Bauer is listed as “2nd year arb eligible,” and is under team control until 2021. Kluber has three years remaining on his contract, but the final two years are team options.

Of course the common sense move would be to go after Corey Kluber. He is a 2x Cy Young Award winner, consistently a top 3-4 starting pitcher in MLB, and – despite several trips to the DL – a work horse.

I bet you didn’t know that Kluber has over 200 IP in each of his last five seasons. In that time span, Kluber has a 2.85 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.016 WHIP, and averages 246 strikeouts. He keeps the ball in the ballpark and walks very few batters, two key features that benefits any team, let alone the Yankees.

He will be 34 early in the 2019 season, however, and is dealing with back issues, which is a major concern. Also, if Kipnis’ salary has to be eaten in order to obtain Kluber, the Yankees would essentially be spending $33MM plus for the starter.

Finally, there’s Trevor Bauer. It’s no secret that I feel Bauer makes the most sense for the Yankees, so I won’t elaborate. In short, he’s younger, cheaper, under control, and fits the current Yankee mold of pitchers with sick breaking balls.

In many ways, the fact that Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi are no longer available might actually be a blessing in disguise. The fact of the matter while Kluber is definitely better than Corbin and Eovaldi. Bauer is arguably better and definitely has more potential.

The only thing left for Cashman is to pull the trigger for the Yankees. Let’s see what he does.