Brian Cashman confirms he wants to revamp the Yankees rotation

Brian Cashman gave Yankees fans the news they wanted to hear on Monday. He’s not just shopping for one starting pitcher, he wants multiple arms. 

The biggest difference between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox this season was the quality present in their starting rotations. Fortunately for fans of the Bronx Bombers, Brian Cashman is very aware of that fact. That’s why he gave fans really good news on Monday.

The veteran GM was quizzed by the media on a wide variety of topics. For the most part, he gave pretty evasive answers. Cashman isn’t one to divulge unnecessary information. That’s particularly true when it comes to free agency.

He did, however, give the media one important piece of information. Cashman directly told the media (h/t MLB.com) that he is, “interested in adding more than one pitcher” this winter. He didn’t specify a specific plan on how he intends to accomplish that goal. He’ll certainly investigate a number of starting pitchers available via both free agency and the trade market.

The Yankees have some level of interest in bringing back J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia. Happ figures to field multiple offers from contending teams looking to stabilize their starting rotations. Sabathia’s market might be more limited, but the Yankees likely aren’t quite as interested as bringing the hefty left-hander back into the fold.

The apple of the team’s eye on the free agent pitching market is obvious. Patrick Corbin is widely regarded as the top starting pitcher in this year’s class. His interest in pitching for the Yankees has been well documented. It would be a pretty big surprise if he doesn’t end up donning pinstripes in 2019. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where he signs elsewhere if the Yankees really covet his services.

The more intriguing question is what Cashman might be willing to do in a trade. Recent reports claiming the Indians are willing to listen to offers on both Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco have Yankees fans eyeing the Tribe very closely. Cleveland might be willing to deal one of their high-level starters, but it would require a serious price in terms of prospects.

Cashman might be willing to pay that price, but he’s certainly going to evaluate other potential options. Don’t rule out the chance of him pulling off a move no one talks about before the terms of the trade have been agreed upon by both teams. A quick look back at Cashman’s history of transactions shows that he likes to fly under the radar to avoid bidding wars.

No matter what, it’s safe to expect the Yankees to start 2019 with a revamped starting rotation. They might not be able to equal the Red Sox starting staff in one offseason, but Cashman is determined to close the gap.