The New York Yankees starting rotation needs significant reinforcements this season after missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto ultimately signed a twelve-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving the Yankees with plenty of money to spend but a rather tight market to navigate. We discussed options such as Jordan Montgomery in depth; the Yankees could look to the trade market to bolster the unit. Shane Bieber stands out as an obvious candidate because he won’t cost a significant amount and his contract is expiring, meaning the Cleveland Guardians will have to settle if they don’t intend to pay him long-term.
However, the Yankees have some interior pieces that need to step up in the meantime, most notably Clarke Schmidt, who managed to avoid being dealt to the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. The Padres demanded Michael King, and the Yankees weren’t going to let his services keep them from being inducted into the Slugger’s Hall of Fame at 25 years old. Nevertheless, Schmidt has the talent to become a good figure in the starting lineup in the long term. The 27-year-old is under control through 2028, giving the Yankees plenty of time to acquire his services at a bargain price. He has a projected salary of $3 million in arbitration for the upcoming season. Last season, Schmidt had his first season as a regular starter, pitching a career-high 159 innings. He finished with a 4.64 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 8.43 strikeouts per nine, a 70.2% left-field percentage and a 43.8% ground ball percentage. After posting a 3.12 ERA over 57.2 innings in 2022, he took a step in the wrong direction, but this is the first time ever that he has pitched more than 60 innings in a given season.It takes time for a newly integrated arm to reach his potential, so the Yankees are thrilled with his upside, especially considering his wide range of pitches. Schmidt uses a cutter, sweeper, sinker and curveball. Unfortunately, he struggled in 2023, with his lowest batting average allowed at .283. Even his sweeper posted a .276 average, well above his .183 BA in 2022.Whether it was a lack of confidence or simply stamina issues, Schmidt learned valuable lessons during a difficult year for the entire team. The hope is that he can address some of these weaknesses and turn them into strengths, which would further his candidacy for the midfielder position.He is currently probably number four behind Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes. Clearly, the Yankees need more help in the rotation and general manager Brian Cashman will likely strengthen the church after the holidays.
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