New York Yankees Starting Pitching Needs For 2017

The New York Yankees are in need of a starting pitching overhaul next season, and not all of their talent will come from within. The remaining two or three starters will have to come via trades or free agent signings.

There should be no question that the New York Yankees cannot get through another season with the starting rotation as it exists today. Save for Masahiro Tanaka, who should emerge as a bona fide candidate in a crowded Cy Young field, the rest of the starting staff is in need of a major overhaul.

Tanaka has been the glue that held the Yankees staff together. Chad Green has shown some ability, but he recently went down with an arm injury and Tommy John is being discussed, making him questionable for next season.

According to Spotrac, C.C. Sabathia has a $5 million buyout for 2017 and (bless his heart and thanks for 2009), the Yankees need to move on. To soften his landing and to give him his due as a Yankee warrior, a day could be planned for him early in the season allowing him to make the same type exit as A-Rod, but thy must be done.

My colleague Nick Ziegler has already explained the Yankees dilemma with Nathan Eovaldi and I’ve chimed in with the same questions about Michael Pineda and his inability to put together two quality starts in a row. Maybe the Yankees are hurting a bit from their recent trade of Ivan Nova, who’s 4-1 since being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. But, they can’t let that interfere with moving forward, especially when he is tucked away in the National League.

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Brian Mitchell, who was on the Yankees radar in the spring until an injury moved him out of the picture, is (and should) emerge as one of the starting five. Following his good start against the Toronto Blue Jays, he’ll be inserted in the rotation from here on in and, as they say, it’s his job to lose.

As far as other prospects in the Yankees farm system with an immediate possibility of jumping into the Yankees rotation, here’s a list compiled by Newsday. But unless I’m missing something I don’t see anything promising there.

That leaves the trade market and to a lesser extent the free agent market for the Yankees to engage in. The old Yankees would have plunged right in there looking to obtain a Chris Sale or a Jose Fernandez, both of whom are reportedly on the block this winter.

But, the new Yankees don’t necessarily have to do that. Instead, they could concentrate on proven major league starters who are not “stars” that would demand a wealth of farm talent in return. Instead, they consistently give you quality starts and innings in much the same way that a Bartolo Colon does for the Mets.

So here’s a list of the current leaders in innings pitched so far this season. Obviously, you have to move away from the top of the list as these guys aren’t going anywhere. But what about when you get down to a Chris Archer who’s had a totally miserable season- and yet he’s gone out there and given Tampa Bay mostly decent starts.

A bit further down the list is a Jerad Eickhoff (who? Yeah right), but he’s logged 167 innings for the Phillies and counting. Brian Cashman can take it from there. I’m just saying that the Yankees hands are in no way tied.

The first and most immediate step though is to cut ties with Sabathia, Pineda, and Eovaldi as soon as this season ends. Work something out with Sabathia but as far as the other two, let the door hit them in the butt on the way out.

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With the Yankees projected lineup for 2017, they are definitely going to score runs. What’s missing though is durable starting pitchers that can give them innings and consistency. There are pitchers out there who can fulfill that role. And unlike the Yankees of old, they don’t have to be household names that cost an arm and a leg.

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