MLB Rumors: What bold predictions will come true for the Yankees?

Let’s make some bold predictions about the Yankees, because why not?

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Dellin Betances #68 of the New York Yankees pitches during the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

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HOUSTON, TX – MAY 01: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 1, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

4. Jordan Montgomery will make more starts than CC Sabathia

Montgomery is sort of a forgotten man among Yankee fans. He was off to a pretty solid start to his 2018 campaign before being forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. The talented southpaw makes no secret of his plan to return to the mound for the Yankees sometime around the All-Star Break this year.

Obviously, Sabathia is going to get a big time head start in this race. Even after undergoing heart surgery this offseason, he should be ready to go on or around Opening Day. That’s going to give the veteran a full half season to get a lead on Montgomery.

However, expecting Sabathia to stay healthy for the full season is wildly optimistic. Players of his age who have pitched so many innings are almost always going to miss time due to injury. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if a variety of issues cause Sabathia to miss half the season just like Montgomery. He might just do it in several stints on the injured list.

It’s also obvious to everyone who’s watched him pitch over the past several seasons that his stuff is getting weaker and weaker. At some point, he isn’t going to get good hitters out with guile. That means that he could be pushed out of the rotation by Montgomery down the stretch if he’s being outpitched.

Add it all up and it’s easy to envision a scenario where Montgomery gets more starts than Sabathia. That’s not what the Yankees want necessarily, but they’ll let performance rule the day on this issue.

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