The New York Yankees took a lot of heat over the trade deadline for not acquiring a starting pitcher. Now, it looks like that was the right move after all.
Entering the trade deadline, New York Yankees fans were desperate to see general manager Brian Cashman pull the trigger on a starting pitcher. While Marcus Stroman, Trevor Bauer, and Zack Greinke were all moved before the deadline, none were obtained by the Evil Empire.
Instead, the team stood pat and promised fans that Luis Severino and Dellin Betances‘ return would suffice. At the time, fans didn’t want to hear it. However, with close to a month after the deadline at this point, there is enough data to determine whether the Yankees did the right thing or not.
Let’s begin with Stroman. Prior to being traded to the crosstown New York Mets for LHP Anthony Kay and RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, Stro had a 2.96 ERA, 3.50 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP in 21 starts.
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Since joining the Mets, in five starts, Stroman has a 4.91 ERA, 5.19 FIP, and 1.69 WHIP. What’s more, he’s doing this in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and in a DH-less National League.
Then, there’s Trevor Bauer. After leading the league in FIP last season, Bauer took a slight turn for the worse in Cleveland where in 24 starts this season, he had a 3.79 ERA, 4.15 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP.
After being traded to the Cincinnati Reds in a three-team deal involving the San Diego Padres, Bauer has only gotten worse. In five starts with the Reds, Bauer has a 7.62 ERA, 4.25 FIP, and 1.58 WHIP.
Finally, Zack Greinke, who prior to being traded to the Houston Astros had a 2.90 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 0.95 WHIP in 23 starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since joining the mighty Stros, Greinke’s performance has also suffered, though not as bad as the others.
In four starts with the Astros, Greinke 3.99 FIP, and a 1.33 WHIP. Also, his H9 went from 7.2 in Arizona to 9.5 in Houston, his BB9 from 1.3 to 2.5, and his SO9 from 8.3 to 5.3.
Greinke was never a real possibility for the Yankees anyway, especially considering that…
So, did the Yankees make the right move? As Bill Veeck said, “Sometimes, the best trades are the ones you don’t make.”