The New York Yankees enter the 2024 season with some highs and lows when it comes to their pitching staff. Gerrit Cole is still one of the best pitchers in baseball. Marcus Stroman comes to the team after a really impressive first half last season. Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón are looking for massive bounce-back seasons after struggling with injuries in 2023.
So, why does that mean that the Bronx Bombers need Blake Snell in 2024?
This past season’s NL Cy Young award winner remains a free agent and the Yankees also remain the only team to offer the left-hander a deal during the offseason. The expensive pitching market, as well as having Scott Boras as representation, has certainly affected why Snell is still on the market. While he’s still on the right side of 30, teams may be unwilling to bite on a long-term offer. That remains especially true for a team like New York, who have certainly been on the wrong side of plenty of poor long-term contracts. That’s another reason why the club is reportedly hoping that Snell is willing to sign for a shorter deal over $35 million a year.
Let’s get back to why this team still needs a talent like Snell. Aside from the fact that this is a player who is coming off of an award-winning 2023 season, the Yankees have been no stranger to the injury bug throughout the years. Two of the biggest names that were affected by injury last season were Rodón and Cortes, and manager Aaron Boone is hoping that the duo can remain healthy this season.
Yet, that is a massive gamble, especially for a team that is incredibly thin for pitching depth. If the franchise wants to make the most of a potentially short tenure for superstar slugger Juan Soto (depending on what the three-time All-Star decides to do over the upcoming offseason), they’re going to need as much talent as they can get. When there are teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers that are ripe with pitching talent and have the potential to face off against New York in the World Series, that makes this move even more important.
However, I’ll put the importance of Snell further into perspective. After dealing Michael King in the trade for Soto, the team’s top two options for starters are Luis Gil and Clayton Beeter, with the latter having no experience pitching in the majors. On the other hand, Gil hasn’t pitched since 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Unless they want to go the route of utilizing the bullpen significantly more than they should, it’s not worth having to depend on Gil or Beeter as starting choices.
Additionally, adding Snell to the equation gives this team a lot more flexibility in what this team can do. Say the unfortunate happens and any of the current starters have to miss an extended period of time with an injury. With the team utilizing Snell as one of the top pitchers in the rotation, they could push either Schmidt or Cortes from the bullpen to that additional starter position. Both pitchers have already shown that they can operate well in a long reliever role and a move like that would make this team a lot more dangerous in terms of their depth.
As for who is most likely the odd man out between the two, I feel as though the Yankees would lean toward leaving Cortes in the rotation. Although he’s coming off of a poor and injury-afflicted season, he’s had the biggest peak between the two, and a return to form would be huge for this ballclub. Schmidt is certainly still a solid starter, don’t get me wrong. However, he’s certainly never reached the All-Star level of Cortes, and while you most likely know what you’re getting with the former Yankees first-round pick this season more than Cortes, they should roll with the latter to start 2024. The worst-case scenario would be to move the two if the 2022 All-Star struggles greatly.
General manager Brian Cashman has already answered the call to improve many of the holes in this roster with acquisitions like Soto, Verdugo, Stroman and more. At such an early point in the season with the current outlook of a potentially competitive season, it is simply not the time to play the lottery with the pitching rotation. The answer is obvious. Time to open the checkbook.