Why the Yankees need to bolster their bullpen
Between Andrew Miller winning the Mariano Rivera Award
and Dellin Betances leading MLB relievers with 131 strikeouts, the back-end of
the Yankees bullpen was a vital part of their 2015 success. However, outside of
Justin Wilson and Adam Warren (when he wasn’t in the rotation), the Yankees
bullpen often fell flat, especially in extra innings.
With Masahiro Tanaka looking to rebound from elbow
surgery, CC Sabathia returning from alcoholism rehabilitation, and Michael
Pineda battling with inconsistency, it is unrealistic to expect any of these
three starters to throw six or seven innings game in and game out.
Although unlikely to spend on a top tier starter,
the Yankees are only a few key pieces away from having arguably the best
bullpen in the MLB. By bolstering their bullpen, they would only need these
veteran pitchers to go for five innings.
Not only would these acquisitions take the strain
off the rotation, but it would also prevent their key arms from being overused
the way they were in 2015. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Dellin Betances
has thrown 2,604 pitches between 2014-2015, more than anyone else in the MLB.
Additionally, almost a quarter of his walks this season (12 of 40) came after
September 1st, which could very well be a sign of being over-taxed
since joining the pen full-time in 2014. It is also worth mentioning that Miller
missed 25 games with forearm strain this summer, so the Yankees need to get
some help on the way to avoid a repeat of 2015.
Fortunately for the Bronx faithful, there are plenty
of above average relievers available this offseason.
Craig Kimbrel of the San Diego Padres would be the
perfect fit for the Yanks, as he could dominate in a set-up roll, or spell
Miller as the closer when Miller has pitched multiple days in a row. Although
he is owed 24 million over the next two season (in addition to a 13m club
option in 2018), he has led the NL in saves four of the last five years, and could
very well be worth it for Cashman to put together a package of Jorge Mateo,
Gary Sanchez, and a few other prospects.
Alternatively, if the Yankees decide against trading
their prospects, they could turn to the free agent market. Tyler Clippard and
Joakim Soria both turned in strong seasons with sub 3.00 ERA’s, and Darren
O’Day continued to be one of the most dominant middle relievers in the MLB, as
he posted a 1.70 ERA in 2014, and a 1.52 ERA in 2015. Tony Sipp has also proven
to be a reliable lefty (1.99 ERA in 2015), and could be a candidate to replace
Shreve after his collapse at the end of last season.
With the emergence of young hurlers like James
Pazos, Jacob Lindgren, Nick Rumbelow, and Nick Goody, by acquiring at least two
of the aforementioned pitchers, the Yankees could get by with the bare minimum
from their starting rotation, and could revolutionize the way teams construct
their pitching staffs.
Article by: Sammy Criscitello
Follow me on twitter @SCriscitello11
Follow the BBB on twitter @BronxBomberBlog
Sanchez, Mateo and a few other prospects for Kimbrell??????? I certainly would not sign off on that. Both Sanchez and Mateo have strong upsides and are both very young. Trade Gardner and a few other prospects for him. Then you have my attention.
ReplyDeleteHaha because the Pads would want Gardner and his albatross????
ReplyDeleteSanchez and Mateo and a low level prospect sounds about right to get Kimbrell, but I don't know that he would want to set up, might have to move everyone up an inning, Miller 8th, Betances in the 7th, and would still need to sign O'day to be close to the Royals Pen, (even with out Holland)
ReplyDelete