There is trouble in the New York Yankees rotation. Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodón will be on the injured list for the start of the season, and now it appears Luis Severino will also start the season on the IL.
In this article, manager Aaron Boone said of Severino’s injury, “Afterwards, when he was kind of doing his workout, arm-care stuff, he just felt some tightness in there. He came in the next day, and it was a little tight, and then yesterday he was going to go out and throw, and that tightness was still there enough to where he wanted to go get it looked at.”
With only Nestor Cortes Jr. and Gerrit Cole healthy and ready for Opening Day, the Yankees must fill out their other three starters.
Here are some of the best options for New York Yankees must-fill rotation spots
Look to the New York Yankees farm
Jhony Brito looks to be MLB-ready. He had an impressive campaign last year with both Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, pitching 112 innings for a 2.96 ERA and 1.154 WHIP with 11 wins and 91 strikeouts. Brito has shown promise in spring training this year with seven strikeouts in 7.2 innings. He has been in the Yankees organization since 2016 and, at 25 years old, he is ready for his shot in the Show … and the Yankees need him right now.
Jhony Brito looked good on the mound today at Yankees camp, reaching 97 MPH. Dark horse who had a 3.55 ERA with 118K’s/21 BB last season with HV and Somerset. pic.twitter.com/nq0D3Y4dGz
— Eli Fishman (@elijfishman) March 15, 2022
Deivi Garcia was hailed as the next great New York Yankees ace but has struggled in the big leagues. He was shut down last season after several unimpressive outings; a finger injury was cited as the reason for his delay. However, he has looked great this spring, with a 1.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings of work. He seems healthy, sharp, and developed a new pitch. The Yankees should give him one more fresh start while they wait for these injuries to work themselves out.
Yankees need to make a deal
A third option is to trade for a starter. Seattle Mariners Chris Flexen was moved to their bullpen after the Luis Castillo trade last year. His name pops up in almost every trade discussion (like this one). He is not a flashy big game pitcher, but he is solid and set on proving he belongs in the rotation. He has had a fantastic spring and pitched well from the bullpen in the latter part of the 2022 season.
There is also Shohei Ohtani, and the Angels could be open to offers for him as the season goes along. He would be the ultimate get, solidifying the Yankees run at a World Series, adding an ace to their banged up rotation as well as a big bat to the lineup. Adding a two-way player would make extra room on the roster for some young depth as well. The Yankees have options to trade, and it would be worth leveraging the house for Ohtani.
The New York Yankees have some pieces to move and need to get off to a good start to the season. They don’t want to find themselves climbing out of a hole in a division with the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and a scrappy Boston Red Sox team. The will probably need to make more than one of these moves to get through these injuries.