Max Scherzer has earned himself a very large payday this offseason, but the question remains as to where exactly he'll end up. The Yankees have recently surfaced as a "dark horse" in the sweepstakes for the former Cy Young winner. Personally, I think this "dark horse" story is totally bogus, because if the Yankees were actually a dark horse, then they wouldn't be mentioned as a candidate at all. This is beside the point.
The Yankees will chase after Scherzer, another crown jewel in the free-agent, and throw a ludicrous number into his offer to try to lure him to the Bronx. Would this be a smart decision, though? The fact is, chasing Scherzer just isn't the intelligent path for the Yankees to follow this offseason, and the evidence that backs this up is undeniable.
1. They really don't need the pitching
They say you can't have too much pitching, but what about starting pitching? The Yankees are pretty set in the rotation if, and that is a huge IF, the rotation is able to remain healthy this season. They'll have Masahiro Tanaka as the ace of the staff, followed by a revitalized Michael Pineda, who showed signs of being a more than formidable number 2.
The number 3 in the rotation will hopefully be Ivan Nova, who is coming back from the infamous Tommy John Surgery. Nova will be looking to bounce back this year and prove his worth in that this will be the final year of his contract. We all know how certain players perform in their contract years…..Adrian Beltre, for example.
The 4th and 5th spots in the rotation are more of a crapshoot than anything else. Every Yankee fan has the glimmer of hope that CC Sabathia will be able to learn to pitch at 91 mph as opposed to 94 mph coming off of his knee injury, but there is no certainty in his return. In addition to CC, there are 4 to 6 other pitchers vying for a spot in the rotation, many of whom are under the age of 26 years old. The next point addresses this further.
2. They need to give their best prospects a chance….please, I beg you
It's time for the Yankees to take a step back and look to what made them so great during the late 90s and early 2000s. During the dynasty years, there was always a core of players who were brought up through the Yankee farm system, and encompassed the Yankee culture of winning to the umpteenth degree. The Yankees need to stop spending money on aging "has-beens" and focus on the future.
This all begins with the pitching. This coming season, the Yanks will have Shane Greene, Jose Campos, Manny Banuelos, Bryan Mitchell, and Chase Whitley all trying to crack the rotation. Each of these pitchers are younger than age 26, and all have upside no matter how you slice it.
If the Yankees pursue Scherzer this offseason and somehow manage to sign him, then this sets every one of these potential starters back a step. They will either be subjected to another dreaded year in the minors, or worse, they'll become trade bait for an aging middle infielder. In either case, the Yanks will be crippling the development of the talent they already have. They need to let it breathe like they did with Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, and Mo in the late 90s.
3. Scherzer's numbers are deceptive
Yes, Max Scherzer looks fantastic on paper with his sparkling win totals, strikeouts, and innings pitched, but there are other factors that need to be taken into account here. Scherzer is predominantly a strikeout and fly ball pitcher who has greatly benefitted from pitching in a stadium notoriously known as a pitcher's ballpark.
To give you an idea, Scherzer has been in the top 20 in home runs given up in two of the last three seasons, and did I mention this is a park that was so huge that the fences had to be moved in after it was first built? I don't think that Scherzer would be too happy with the short porches in right and left field in Yankee Stadium, and I think his already-pedestrian career ERA would rise even further.
4. There are more pressing needs that need to be addressed
Before the Yankees go anywhere near another starting pitcher, the team needs to address the gaping hole on the left side of the infield. Who do they want to replace all-time great Derek Jeter? Is Chase Headley really the guy the team wants holding down the hot corner? What on earth are they going to do about the return of the villain that is Alex Rodriguez?
The Yankees need to figure this out ASAP. Whether the answer is signing Asdrubal Cabrera to play shortstop or Hanley Ramirez to play either third or short, something has to be done to address the pressing issue on the left side of the field. My choice would be to sign one big-name free agent to play either position on the left side and then give a standout prospect a shot. It worked twenty years ago, why not try it again?
This is by no means an attempt to discredit the back-to-back brilliant seasons put together by Max Scherzer, but rather the viewpoint of a concerned fan tired of watching an organization continue to smash its head against a wall season after season. Something needs to change for the Yanks, and it needs to change soon.
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