All would seem to be well with the New York Yankees. At 12-7 after their first 19 games, the defending American League pennant-holders sit atop the AL East Division, tied for the best record in the league with the Texas Rangers and best record in baseball outside of the National League West (where three teams have better records).
But the Yankees are not exactly cruising toward another World Series appearance. The Bronx Bombers have been overly reliant on their offense â which has been the best in MLB scoring 5.95 runs per game and posting 137 OPS+, which means essentially that there ability to get on base and accumulate extra bases has been 37 percent better than league average.
For comparison, the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks come in at 125. The Yankees traditional arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, have managed an OPS+ of 100, exactly average, over their first 20 games.
Success Unsustainable Without Pitching Upgrade
The question is, how long can the Yankees bash their way to wins on a consistent basis? At some point, it seems likely, the weakness of their pitching staff will catch up to them. The Yankees staff heading into Friday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays ranked 18th in ERA+, one point below league average at 99. They have walked more batters than any other AL staff with 82, just one fewer than the MLB-worst Miami Marlins.
Most of the problems with Yankee pitching, however, have come from the starting staff. The Yankees rotation has been beset by injuries, most painful of all the loss of staff ace and 2023 Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole who will miss the entire 2025 campaign with Tommy John surgery.
Even with all of the injuries, however, it seems doubtful the Yankees expected their starters to be as bad as they’ve been. The starting staff ERA of 4.97 places the Pinstripes 28th out of MLB’s 30 teams.
While the Yankees’ $218 million offseason free agent acquisition Max Fried has been stellar â the left-hander has a 3-0 record and sparkling 1.88 ERA over four starts â no other Yankee starter has managed to push his ERA below 5.00. In fact, the lowest ERA for a Yankee starter other than Fried belongs to 25-year-old rookie Will Warren, at 5.17 in 15 2/3 innings over four starts.
The Yankees can sit back and wait for the return of No. 3 starter and 2025 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, which may not be until sometime in May â or they can do something. If their hitters start to cool off, as tends to happen over the course of a 162-game baseball season, the need for a bold, daring move to reinforce the starting rotation will become painfully clear.
That bold move may be waiting right now in Houston, where the Astros have struggled to just eight wins, and appear to be embarking on a multi-year rebuilding effort. They have yet to begin contract extension discussions with their 31-year-old left-handed ace and two-time All-Star Framber Valdez.
One Move to Make Yankees Rotation Great Again
During Spring Training, Valdez said that with no extension, he plans to test the free agent market after his current one-year, $18 million contract is up. But Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could prevent Valdez from going there.
An aggressive trade, made with the promise of extending Valdez to keep him in the Bronx, would give an immediate jolt to the Yankees staff as well as setting the team up for the next several years as Cole works his way back from his injury.
With Cole under contract through 2028, Fried in the fold for another seven after 2025, and Valdez for what would presumably be an deal for at least three years, the Yankees would have the core of a dominant rotation for most of what remains of this decade.
But how to obtain Valdez? Of course, it would take prospects. But the Yankees have one young player who is making an impact offensively in his fill-in role for the injured Giancarlo Stanton.
That is Ben Rice, who in his second season at 25 years old is, according to Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media, “putting together one of the most electric starts to a rookie season in recent Yankees memory. …The Yankees havenât just stumbled onto a hot batâtheyâve unearthed a hitter who looks like he belongs in the middle of the order for years to come.”
It should be noted that, with 50 games played in 2024, Rice is technically no longer a rookie.
Parting With ‘Electric’ Young DH a Daring Move
But will Rice occupy the middle of the Yankees order for years to come?
With the return of Stanton â who for the $66 million remaining on his contract is not going ride the bench for the next three years â where does Rice who is primarily, like Stanton, a designated hitter, fit in?
The Astros are in desperate need of power, currently 23rd in MLB with just 14 home runs in 18 games, and an anemic OPS+ of 81. Would they accept Rice in exchange for Valdez? The move would be a daring one for both organizations. But if they can pull it off, Houston gets its power bat of the future, and the Yankees once again look like the dominant starting rotation in the AL.
Who says no?
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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