Major League Baseball

New York Yankees: Options for the Back-End of the Rotation

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:54 p.m. ET

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Feb 14, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) and relief pitcher Chasen Shreve (45) works out as pitchers and catchers report for spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees underwent a tremendous rebuild last season that saw them bring in a multitude of young talent. However, with that youth alongside some free agent signings, the Yankees still have some questions regarding their rotation.

The New York Yankees have turned themselves around from one of the oldest teams into one of the youngest. Although they signed guys like Chris Carter and Matt Holliday, the Yankees remain pretty young overall. This youth has caused the Yankees to have some exceptional depth, with one of these areas of depth being their pitching rotation.

Although the rotation itself may not be the best, the Yankees have four likely options to fill out the fifth spot in their rotation behind Luis Severino. Each guy has his own questions marks surrounding him, however the Yankees still do have a choice to make. Spring Training will likely be the source of this choice, but the Yankees must be keen on making the correct one. With Spring Training underway, lets look at the Yankees four options for the back of their rotation.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Chad Green

As of now, Chad Green is currently listed as the fifth arm in the Yankees rotation on their official site. Green may be the smart option heading into spring, but anything can change in the following months. Green was drafted in the 11th round in 2013 by the Detroit Tigers, where he played until this last year. He didn't see MLB time with the Tigers in his three seasons, as he didn't make his MLB debut until last season with the Yankees.

In the minors Green crafted a pretty good resume. From 2013-105 Green posted a 3.54, 3.11, and 3.93  ERA, respectively. While the numbers themselves weren't great, he posted a fairly high k/9 (7.1, 8.6, 8.3) en route to becoming a Yankee. Green then thrived in AAA with the Yankees. In 16 games started in 2016 Green held an outstanding 1.52 ERA over 94.2 innings pitched. Green's strike out rate rose to 9.5 k/9 while his h/9 fell to a respected 6.5.

While Green may not have done great in his eight starts at the major league level, his minor league progression should prove him to be the Yankees first option heading into opening day. At only 25 years old Green will definitely improve in the coming years, however he does have some competition for that major league spot.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Warren

Adam Warren is the oldest of the four options for the fifth starter – being a staggering 29 years of age. All jokes aside, Warren might not be the most polarizing option out of the bunch, but likely is the safest option. However, this in itself is a risk as Warren has pitched from the bullpen the majority of his career. Although Warren's overall numbers weren't great last season, his constant performance with the Yankees proves that he can pitch in Yankee pinstripes.

Warren was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Yankees in 2009, where he remained in the Yankees' organization until this last season. Making his debut in 2012, Warren had a pretty successful three seasons with the Yankees before heading off to Chicago in 2016. In 2013 and 2014, working almost exclusively out of the bullpen, Warren had a 3.39 and 2.97 ERA. Then, in 2015, Warren managed to start in 17 games with the Yankees, posting a 3.29 ERA in 131.1 innings pitched.

Despite his struggles last season, which saw him have a 5.91 ERA with Chicago, Warren still thrived in pinstripes. In the trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to Chicago, Warren was sent back to New York. Then, after struggles in Chicago, Warren returned to form with a 3.26 ERA over 30.1 innings in New York. While a full-time transition may be a gamble, it proves to be a safe gamble.

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Bryan Mitchell

Bryan Mitchell is a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher that was selected by the Yankees in the 16th round of the 2009 MLB draft. Since then, Mitchell has accumulated a pretty lengthy stint in the minors and is certainly looking to finally secure a spot on the 25-man roster. Although he has pitched for the pinstripes in three different seasons, he has only started eight games. With only 65.2 innings pitched the ship has not sailed for MItchell, but he must improve on his 4.52 ERA at the big league level.

Mitchell has been in and out of the minor leagues for seven seasons now and nothing really jumps out as super impressive. The best ERA he has had in a decent amount of innings is 3.35, coming back in 2015 in AAA. He allows on average ten hits per every nine innings, only strikes out 6.4 batters, and walks just over four batters. Nothing jumps out, and quite frankly it is just mediocre. I genuinely hate to bash a player, but nothing jumps out as a big league starter for Mitchell.

Of course, the tides could always turn and Mitchell could secure a spot in the starting rotation. However, at only 25 years old, Mitchell could always be sent back down to AAA to hone his craft. Even better, the Yankees could bring him in as bullpen help. This would allow him to face big league batters, and gradually ease into the MLB landscape.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Luis Cessa

Finally, there is Luis Cessa, who is currently listed as the eighth starting pitcher in the Yankees rotation. Despite being ranked at the bottom however, I am a firm believer that Cessa could be a dark horse to be a pretty good pitcher in the future. At only 24 years old Cessa has already started 9 games with the Yankees. Although it wasn't spectacular, he has shown great potential to improve.

Cessa, in 17 total games at the big league level last season, posted a 4-4 record with a 4.35 ERA. While that isn't great, his low WHIP of 1.109 shows to be a good sign that he is not allowing very many base runners. Last season in AAA Cessa posted a 3.03 ERA, and has had as low as a 2.49 in class A. While nothing seems to be fantastic about Cessa, his youth and ability to manage games may push him into the rotation in the future.

However, that is likely just going to happen in the future. Cessa is behind several guys, more specifically being behind Green and Warren. While he has shown potential to make his way into the starting rotation, barring injury, now is not the time for Cessa. If I was in charge of the Yankees, Green and Warren are the most compelling cases to get that five-spot, and now only time will tell.

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