Deadline deals are keeping the Yankees rotation afloat

Yankees fans were desperate to add a big name pitcher before the trade deadline, but Brian Cashman couldn’t swing it. Luckily, he didn’t stand pat.

Brian Cashman did everything he could to bring a front line pitcher to the Bronx before the trade deadline, but there wasn’t a guy out there he was willing to give up premium prospects to acquire. Instead, the Yankees chose to make quiet moves for J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn. That duo is currently keeping Aaron Boone’s rotation afloat.

Happ was the first to don pinstripes, and he’s been excellent in his 19 innings for the Yankees. He’s only given up six runs in those three starts. The southpaw’s most recent outing for New York was his best. He pitched seven sparkling innings against the Rays and did not give up a single run. It was an important start for the Yankees after watching Luis Severino get knocked around the night before against the Mets.

Happ was acquired to help solidify the back end of Boone’s rotation, but instead he’s pitching more like an ace. He may not be able to keep this pace up for the rest of the season, but it’s been crucial for the Yankees so far. If he is able to keep this level of pitching up, he could be the pitcher selected to start New York’s likely Wild Card playoff game.

While Happ has exceeded expectations, Lynn has blown them away. The Yankees acquired him on the last day before the deadline under the cover of relative darkness. There were very few reports linking the Yankees and Twins together on a deal before the trade was formally announced. Initially, the Yankees believed he could help them as a long man out of the bullpen.

Then Sonny Gray blew up in Baltimore and Lynn came on to mop up his mess. That led Boone to insert the burly right-hander into the rotation. He’s got an ERA of just 0.54 in his three appearances for the Yankees. He followed his one relief appearance up with two really strong outings as a starter. His best outing came in his second start against the White Sox. He dominated Chicago by pitching 7 1/3 innings and striking out nine hitters. Lynn’s aggressive style does a lot to boost his teammates when he has his best stuff going.

It’s scary to think where the Yankees rotation would be without their contributions. The aforementioned Gray has been a disaster this season. Cashman and company would like to believe he’s going to turn things around in 2018, but he hasn’t shown any real signs of progress. The odds are heavily stacked against him rejoining the rotation this season.

The rotation has been hit with further bad news this week with CC Sabathia’s trip to the DL. The veteran lefty doesn’t expect to miss more than one start, but that’s still forcing the Yankees to give Luis Cessa another start. That’s far from ideal given the team’s desire to chase down the Red Sox in the AL East.

The point here is that Cashman deserves a lot of credit for his under-the-radar moves in July. He didn’t swing a deal for the ace the fans craved, but he did manage to acquire two really helpful arms at very modest prices. Happ and Lynn may turn out to be two of New York’s most important players down the stretch. That wasn’t Cashman’s plan, but it could be the reality for this year’s edition of the Yankees.