In an alternate universe, the Toronto Blue Jays would be making the big moves at the trade deadline and the New York Yankees would be relying on young talent to aid their postseason push. Well, that's exactly where we are in 2015.
Trade rumors surrounded the Yankees prior to the deadline as it was clear the team needed some reinforcement in their starting rotation and bullpen. However, general manager Brian Cashman did not make any drastic trades and stuck to his word - he kept pitching prospect Luis Severino, who made his MLB debut on Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox.
Severino, 21, surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out seven in five innings of work. While the Yankees eventually lost the game because of their inability to hit knuckleballer Steven Wright (8IP, 1ER, 4H), Severino's debut was impressive and deemed a success, meaning he's likely to remain with the team and be an integral aspect in their efforts to win the division make the playoffs.
"I definitely think it was positive for him and what it could mean for us going forward," manager Joe Girardi told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "He has a live arm, velocity, made a bunch of really good pitches on 3-and-2. He can make some quality pitches. I thought he attacked batters. ... The way he went at hitters [from the start] made me think he was going to be OK."
The youngster showcased all of his pitches (four-seamer, two-seamer, cutter, slider and changeup) during last night's outing. Here's the breakdown for the 94 pitches he threw, according to FanGraphs:
Four-seam fastball: 66%
Slider: 17%
Two-seam fastball: 6.4%
Cutter: 6.4%
Changeup: 4.3%
"He showed a plus-fastball, a plus-cutter and a plus-plus-changeup, which I think long-term is going to be the swing-and-miss pitch for him," ESPN Insider Keith Law said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast.
"In the short-term, he's better than, or at least you'd expect him to be equal to, any of those second- and third-tier starters that [the Yankees] could have added at the deadline."
ESPN Insider Buster Olney indicated Severino could be a big part of the team in the final two months of the MLB season.
"The Yankees, like a lot of teams now, basically held the reigns back on Severino early in the year and now they have a lot of leeway with him going forward," he added on the podcast. "I don't think that's going to mean him throwing 6-7 innings, I think we're probably going to see a number of different appearances like last night where he's throwing five innings, but in this day and age in 2015, as we saw with the Royals last year, that might be enough."
The right-hander has thrown only 99 1/3 innings in 19 minor-league starts this season and he threw just 113 innings in 24 starts last year, which seems to have been part of Cashman's plan all along - preserve his arm and use him late in the season as other clubs (Royals, Rays, Cardinals) have done in previous years. And now, with Michael Pineda on the shelf until at least September, Severino can fill in as a starter for now and then perhaps move to the bullpen (or used as a spot starter) and provide relief for Justin Wilson, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.
It looks like Severino and the Yankees could be headed in that direction.
"If there is any worry remaining about this team, it is whether they will have enough starting pitching to get them to the finish line and through the playoffs, a neighborhood they haven't visited since 2012," writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. "If Cashman's inactivity at the trade deadline only heightened those worries, Severino's performance alleviated many of them."
