While the Ryan Yarbrough additions has brought some concerns about whether the Yankees will continue to add to their rotation, this is not a deal that removes them from any starters they had serious interest in acquiring beforehand.
Yarbrough, who made just eight starts last year as the majority of his appearances came from the bullpen, is viewed as more of a depth arm that currently slides into their fifth spot in the rotation.
If any injury was to occur to the top of their rotation, which is currently Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, they would have a backend of the rotation of Allan Winans and Ryan Yarbrough.
Any additional injuries, and the staff becomes a complete mess, which I’d expect the organization to address especially as they ready their pitches for Tatsuya Imai.
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Don’t Overreact to the Yankees Bringing Back Ryan Yarbrough
Ryan Yarbrough is an impactful arm, but he’s a pitcher who gets you through the 162-game season, not someone who improves your odds of winning a title once you get there.
One of the biggest issues with the Yankees’ roster come October was that they ran out of arms who are reliable playoff starters, which hasn’t been addressed here by Yarbrough.
Where the left-hander is most valuable is as an emergency starter that can step-in when injuries inevitably occur, getting outs as a reliever in-between those injuries.
It would require a significant step forward for Will Warren and Luis Gil to be viewed as reliable options for October, and both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are mid-30s starters returning from surgery on their pitching arms.
Gerrit Cole ruled out an Opening Day return when he spoke to the media at the Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala, but noted that his progression has continued to go smoothly.
This is what has fueled the Yankees’ pursuit of Tatsuya Imai, whom sources told Empire Sports Media is a player they will pursue aggressively this winter.
Ryan Yarbrough doesn’t eliminate both the team’s self-assessed issues in the rotation nor does he make the organization less hungry to finally make a splash in the Japanese market.
FanGraphs’ projected WAR metrics by position for the 2026 were released this month, and the Yankees are 13th in WAR (12.8) and 14th in FIP (4.08).
While their projected ERA is inside the top-10 (3.96), the more projectable metric here is FIP by a rather significant margin, and its why there should be concerns about their starting staff.
I expect a bullpen addition (or two) alongside outfield help, but they’ll continue to push for rotation help even with their perceived depth.