Years from now, an historian of baseball might look upon the 2016 Yankees and see a treasure trove of interesting items. He or she could point to the abysmal start, the fire-sale at the trade deadline, Alex Rodriguez’s departure, the emergence of Gary Sanchez, or the improbable late season surge. That seems like it would be plenty of material to work with to write a compelling history.
There’s also the story of the team’s remarkably poor starting pitching. So far, Yankees starters have averaged a 4.50 ERA, with a not much better 4.35 FIP. That’s a staff that includes Masahiro Tanaka, who currently leads the American League with a 2.