Things are looking progressively worse for the New York Yankees' starting rotation, which is putting a smile on the faces of Max Scherzer and his agent, Scott Boras. Will the right-hander end up in the Bronx?
The Yankees experienced yet another blow to their starting rotation for 2015 when right-hander Brandon McCarthy signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for four years and $48 million last week. McCarthy was a priority for the Yankees' offseason, but general manager Brian Cashman said, "I figured the market would take him at a level that we couldn't play on."
On top of that, the team traded starter Shane Greene in the three-way deal that brought them shortstop Didi Gregorius and it's unknown whether Hiroki Kuroda will be back next season. So that leaves C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, David Phelps and Ivan Nova comprising the starting rotation, which is not good news for New York. This could leave the door open for Max Scherzer since continuity at the front-end of the rotation is a major need.
Both Sabathia and Nova are coming off of season-ending surgeries; the health of Tanaka's pitching elbow is still a big question mark after a shaky outing to end 2014 and; Pineda has only made 13 starts for the Yankees since being acquired in 2012. The team also lost closer David Robertson to the Chicago White Sox, which is a big blow to their bullpen even though they managed to sign reliever Andrew Miller to a four-year deal.
The good news for the Yankees is that Detroit, Scherzer's incumbent team, seemingly isn't high on pursuing the right-hander. The Tigers acquire Greene from the Yankees as well as Alfredo Simon from the Cincinnati Reds and now have a complete starting rotation heading into next season. They offered Scherzer a six-year, $144 million extension prior to the 2014 season, but he turned it down in hopes of getting more money in free agency. The right-hander is now pursuing a $200 million contract.
For a 30-year-old who has only had two seasons with an ERA under 3.50 (as a starter) and over 200 innings pitched, Scherzer isn't in high demand for the amount of money he's seeking, but signs keep pointing to the Yankees making a run at him. Rumors surfaced about New York not spending big on free agents this season, but they are paying Miller $9 million per season and he may only be the team's setup man.
Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York writes:
"All offseason, the Yankees have privately said they will not be going after any of the big three starters (Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields). Despite rumors to the contrary, they were true to their word on Lester. But as each starter falls off the board, the bread crumbs lead to the Yankees maybe making a late run at Scherzer if they want to be true playoff and World Series contenders in 2015."
Other teams in need of a starter, including the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers and others are interested in acquiring left-hander Cole Hamels in a trade with the Phillies or signing free agent right-hander James Shields, both of whom are much cheaper options.
If the Yankees miss out on the other mid-level free agent starters or fail to strengthen their bullpen, it's a possibility Scherzer ends up in the Bronx. The team cannot afford to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
