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Yankees: Making the Case to Use a Six-Man Rotation

By Greg Maitles

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 03: Sonny Gray (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 03: Sonny Gray (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /
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After the acquisitions of Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia, the Yankees have sent Jordan Montgomery to Triple-A.  Let’s talk about why this was the wrong move for the organization.

At the beginning of the season, many fans of the Bronx Bombers were unsure of how the team would perform this season.

With a crop of young talent, fused with the gritty veteran presence of players like Brett Gardner, Matt Holliday, and even Chase Headley, many expected this to be a simple rebuilding year as the

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team looked toward the future.

While the offense was sure live up to its expectations, the starting rotation has gone beyond the expectations set at the beginning of the year by many.

Seasoned vet C.C. Sabathia has had a very good year with a 9-4 record and a 3.81 ERA (statistics verified by Baseball Reference.).  Luis Severino has pitched his way to become the figurative ace of the staff, while rookie southpaw Jordan Montgomery has been a delight in the back end of the rotation with consistent quality outings.  

Those three have carried the weight for the rotation to this point in the year.

With the struggles of the highly-paid Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees traded for left-hander Jaime Garcia, and right-hander Sonny Gray at the deadline in order to boost the rotation as the club makes a push for a division title.

Tanaka has pitched well in recent starts and appears to be returning to his ace form, while the

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new additions work their way into the solid rotation.  The trades have left the Yankees with a good problem, an excess amount of starting pitching.

Following the team’s 8-1 victory over the Indians on Sunday, the New York Post reported that Jordan Montgomery was optioned to Triple-A Scranton.  Speculation had been he would be the odd man out of the rotation in the event the club decided on the traditional five man group.

This move, while made easier by Montgomery’s recent struggles, is the opposite of what they Yankees should have done.

Having an extra starter on the big league club allows the arms of all of the other pitchers more rest, which is beneficial when you have starters with injury history, young pitchers who throw among the hardest fastballs in the league, and veterans with years of innings under their belt.

These are all characterizations of men the Yankees have leading the charge for the starting rotation in Tanaka, Severino, and Sabathia.

It all boils down to one argument in favor of the extra starter, rest.  The rest would keep all of the arms healthy and prevent the fatigue that usually ensues for pitchers in the dog days of summer.

That way, when the playoffs come around and the team is in the mix, everyone will be fresh when the rotation is likely shortened to three or four men for the postseason.

It also allows Montgomery to remain in the big leagues facing tougher competition for when he likely moves into the bullpen in the playoffs.

Next: 2018 New York Yankees 40-Man Roster Series: Impending Free Agents

The club has made its decision, however, and for the time being Montgomery will remain stretched out in Triple-A, while Garcia and Gray figure to help lead the team to the postseason.  

In a worst case scenario, an injury to any of the starters wouldn’t completely leave the team in disarray, as they have an established arm waiting in junior circuit.

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