New York Yankees: Why 2019 is a make or break year for the Yanks

As the ol’ cliche goes, pitching wins championships.

The Yankees made significant improvements to the pitching staff this offseason, but is it enough?

The Yankees addedJames PaxtonandAdam Ottavinothis offseason, as well as bringing back several pitchers such asCC SabathiaandZACK (not Zach) Britton. This should make the pitching staff significantly better than it was last season with obvious struggles when it came to starters.

Paxton was fantastic in 2018 as he went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.098 WHIP. With this the Yankees will likely place him in either the two or three slot likely behindLuis Severinoand potentiallyMasahiro TanakaorJ.A. Happ.

Nonetheless, the Yankees now have a solid rotation with the likes of Severino, Paxton, Tanaka, Happ and Sabathia looking like the likely rotation going forward.Not only do the Yankees look rather solid when it comes to their starters, but they already had one of the best bullpens last season, and they arguably got better this past offseason.

Although the Yanks lostDavid Robertsonwho decided to sign with the Phillies, the Yankees did manage to bring back Zack Britton and add Adam Ottavino to the staff.

Ottavino, who was with Colorado last season, had a 2.43 ERA with a 2.6 WAR and 0.991 WHIP in 77.2 total innings out of the bullpen. This will allow the Yankees to have quite a few options when it comes to their bullpen.

WithAroldis Chapman, Zack Britton,Dellin Betances,Tommy Kahnle,Chad GreenandJonathan Holderalready in the pen, the Yankees have arguably the best bullpen in the MLB.This means that even if the new and improved starting rotation struggles, there is always help right behind them.

We know the Yankees will need to add at least one starter to the roster following this season with CC Sabathia retiring, but this season will tell us if maybe they need to add another one. All of this combined shows us that 2019 is a massive year for the Yankees. The time is now.

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