The Yankees have officially entered the offseason after failing to make the playoffs for the second straight year. With free agency looming, will New York spend big money on one of the marquee pitchers that will hit the market this winter?
New York's starting rotation was decimated by injuries this season and they still managed to keep themselves in the playoff discussion until the last week of the regular season. They lost C.C. Sabathia in May due to a knee injury; Ivan Nova underwent Tommy John surgery after suffering an elbow injury in April; Michael Pineda had only 13 starts this year due to shoulder/back injuries; and Masahiro Tanaka suffered a partially torn UCL in July and missed about two and a half months of action. Hiroki Kuroda was left to represent the pitching staff by himself all year, while Brian Cashman did a good job of filling in the holes.
But with all these injuries and now Max Scherzer, James Shields and Jon Lester set to become free agents after the 2014 postseason, the Yankees could find it in their best interest to spend some money and sign one of them. Sabathia just turned 34 and is coming off knee surgery, while Nova and Tanaka suffered serious elbow injuries and could very well regress next season. Pineda has made only 13 starts in two seasons with the Yankees, so his availability at this point cannot be trusted, and Kuroda is undecided on his return to baseball as he will turn 40 in the offseason. However, they may opt to spend (a little) elsewhere, such as shortstop and outfield.
"Max Scherzer, James Shields and Jon Lester are the premier free-agent starters and the Yankees will monitor all three although the early industry vibe is the Yankees aren't going to spend big money this winter," wrote George King III of the New York Post.
With Derek Jeter gone and Ichiro Suzuki likely leaving the Yanks, New York could be looking at impending free agents such as shortstops J.J. Hardy, Asdrubal Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez as well as outfielders Nelson Cruz and Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas. However, Ramirez has reiterated he wants a $100 million contract; Cruz is the league leader in home runs and won't be cheap; and Tomas is expecting to wield a contract upwards of $100 million himself after an impressive showcase in the Dominican Republic. If the Yankees are going to spend money anywhere, investing in a perennial starting pitcher looks like their best move.
Or if they don't want to spend much money at all, general manager Brian Cashman could opt to retain starter Brandon McCarthy on the cheap (7-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts with New York this season) and/or look to keep 25-year-old Shane Greene in the starting rotation as well (5-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 14 starts). Additionally, the Yanks could land a bargain deal in acquiring Hardy or Cabrera while they wait for the contracts of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira to expire before they start spending heavily (again).
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*This article has been updated to correct Brandon McCarthy's ERA.
