UPDATE (6-5-2018): It was announced this afternoon that Jordan Montgomery will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2018 season and probably the majority of 2019 as well.
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It’s almost Memorial Day, and we are almost 50 games into the regular season. The New York Yankees are one game behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East division. The next closest team (Tampa Bay Rays) is nine games back, and the Rays just traded Alex Colome and Denard Span to Seattle for minor league pitchers. It appears the AL East will likely become a two-horse race between Boston and New York.
Both the Red Sox and the Yankees are displaying a potent lineup that can overpower opponents. A stark difference between these two clubs is starting pitching. Chris Sale and David Price are perennial Cy Young Award candidates, and Rick Porcello won the AL Cy Young Award in 2016. All three can easily get deep into games every time out, and ease the strain Boston’s bullpen.
The Yankees have Luis Severino whom they can count on to give them innings and get deep into the game, but he’s the only one who has pitched consistently well. Masahiro Tanaka can be lights out when he is on his game, but he can also easily get pounded and is extremely home run prone. CC Sabathia has pitched well at times and doesn’t give up much hard contact, but he is averaging five innings per start, has allowed 15 runs in his last three starts and will be 38 years old soon. Sonny Gray has been very inconsistent with location, walking too many hitters and is also averaging five innings per start. Young Domingo German dazzled in his May 6 start against the Cleveland Indians, allowing no hits over six innings before leaving because he was on a pitch-count. Since then, he has allowed 12 runs in his following two starts, covering 8.2 innings. That’s not going to work when your rotation already isn’t getting deep into games.
With Jordan Montgomery out for at least another month or two, and with the lack of consistency in the current rotation, it would be interesting to see if Brian Cashman might swing a trade to acquire another proven starter to help shore things up. There are several starters who will be (or potentially could be) free-agents after 2018. Let’s take a look at a few of them:
Gio Gonzalez (WAS) – The 32 year old southpaw is set to be a free-agent after 2018. He has pitched well this season in Washington (5-2, 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP), but has had bouts of inconsistency with location. Gonzalez walks an average of 4.1/9 IP and routinely reaches 100 pitches after five innings. That wouldn’t fit well with a team who desperately needs a starter who can give length. Plus the Nationals are a contending team who likely wouldn’t look into making a trade unless their season went off the rails.
Fit for Yankees? Unlikely.
Lance Lynn (MIN) – The 30 year old righty has a reputation as an consistent innings-eater from his days with the Cardinals, but he’s been anything but in Minnesota. He signed a one year/12 million dollar deal late in spring training, and didn’t have much time to get in shape. To date, Lynn’s numbers are terrible (2-4, 6.34ERA, 1.86 WHIP) and is walking over 6 batters per nine innings.
Fit for Yankees? Not likely.
Patrick Corbin (AZ) – The 28 year old Corbin, a Syracuse native, grew up a Yankees fan. He’s pitched to the tune of a 4-1, 2.60 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and is averaging 6.2 innings per start. His walk rates are down and strike-out rates are up from last season, and he’s allowing a paltry 5.6 hits/9 innings. I think he’s probably the best choice of all the soon to be free agents, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman has made several good deals with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the past.
Fit for Yankees? TRADE FOR HIM ALREADY!
Brandon McCarthy (ATL) – Back in July 2014, Cashman swung a trade with Arizona to acquire McCarthy from the Dbacks for Vidal Nuno. It ended up being a steal, as McCarthy pitched very well in his three months in the Bronx, helping them stay in the playoff hunt until the last part of the season. The tall righty will be 35 in July, but still appears to have plenty in the tank. On the surface, McCarthy’s numbers aren’t great (5-2, 4.67 ERA, 1.57 WHIP), but two very ugly back to back starts in early May have skewed the numbers. I would think the Braves would gladly take a lower-level prospect or two for McCarthy, especially if they start to drop in the standings.
Fit for Yankees? Yes, as long as he stays healthy (which could be problematic).
Matt Harvey (CIN) – On May 8th, the 29 year old Dark Knight was swept out of Queens when the Mets traded Harvey to the Cincinnati Reds, ending his tumultuous stint with the Metropolitans. He hadn’t been the same since the end of 2015 due to injuries and his well documented problems with the team and it’s management didn’t help his cause. Since the trade, Harvey is 1-0, 2.57/0.93 WHIP, and his fastball velocity has rebounded, touching 97 mph in his May 22nd start against the Pirates. His 2018 overall stats still look ugly, but maybe this trade was the wake-up call he needed. If Harvey pitches well for the next two months, the Reds could easily flip him to a contending team looking to shore up it’s pitching. You know, like the Yankees.
Fit for Yankees? I don’t see it happening, given what’s happened over the last couple years in nearby Flushing, but stranger things have happened.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) – Kershaw has an opt-out in his contract that could enable him to become a free-agent after the season, which should have some teams looking for Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi’s phone number. Currently on the DL with biceps tendonitis, Kershaw has missed time with various injuries in four of the last five seasons. When healthy, he’s pitched as well as ever, and at 30 years of age, is still in his prime. Kershaw’s stat-line (1-4, 2.86 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) shows how useless win-loss records are, and he’s still racking up strikeouts at close to his normal rate (9.8/9 innings). It makes for fun speculation, but I don’t see Kershaw leaving LA, whether he becomes a FA after this year or next.
Fit for Yankees? OF COURSE, but I don’t see it happening.
Bartolo Colon (TEX) – He just turned 45 yesterday, but Colon is still painting like Picasso! Granted, he didn’t look all that great against the Yankees on May 21, but for all things considered, he’s eaten innings pretty effectively. Colon (2-2, 3.51, 0.92 WHIP) would come cheaply if the Texas Rangers found a suitor for him.
Fit for Yankees? Possible, but not probable.
The Titanium Spine 