Projecting the Yankees’ 2020 rotation led by new ace Gerrit Cole

The other competitors

The Yankees are blessed with a tremendous amount of depth in terms of their starting-pitching options this season. There are several guys who have a real chance to break into the big-league rotation if a few things break in their favor.

J.A. Happ

The expectation is that Happ will be moved before the season begins to clear payroll. It’s very likely the Yankees will have to attach an asset to his bloated contract to get a deal done. If the asking price for that sort of move is too high, Cashman could elect to bring him back and let him compete for a spot in this year’s rotation.

Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery had earned a spot in the Yankees’ 2018 rotation before Tommy John surgery derailed his career. It sidelined him for almost all of 2019 until he got a cup of coffee in the majors in September. It’s expected that he’ll be ready to go full-bore in 2020.

Yankees fans shouldn’t forget about his ability to keep opposing hitters off-balance. He’s not blessed with elite stuff, but his curve ball really plays against powerful batters from either side of the plate. Don’t be shocked if he throws the ball well enough in Spring Training to dislodge German.

Deivi Garcia

The team’s top prospect just happens to be a starting pitcher as well. Garcia flew through the Yankees’ minor league system last season, but it’s still a little too soon to trust him with the ball every five days at the major league level.

Instead, look for Garcia to start the year in AAA. If he dominates at that level up until the All-Star Break he’ll have a chance to come up and make a big impact in the Bronx. Whether that’s in the bullpen or in the starting rotation largely depends on the pitching of the guys in front of him.