Yankees 'not pencils down by any means' when it comes to improving roster, especially pitching
Yankees GM Brian Cashman talks to reporters during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
TAMPA, Fla. — Even in saying “we like what we have,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that doesn’t mean he’s done trying to upgrade the roster, especially the pitching staff.
“I think we’d like to always improve the roster, if you can,” Cashman said Thursday. “It’s got to fit, it’s got to make sense, whether it’s a trade . . . or financially, if you have to make it fit. But we’re not pencils down by any means.”
The Yankees like their current starting rotation of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt. There are a bevy of questions about the four who follow Cole, but there are at least as many questions when it comes to organizational depth in that area.
Though the Yankees are high on prospects such as Will Warren, Luis Gil, Chase Hampton and Yoendrys Gomez, they also don’t want to have to depend on so many unproven pitchers when the inescapable realities of the long season take their toll on the rotation. Most teams typically need at least 10 starters, often more, to make it through the 162-game regular-season grind. Fans shouldn’t bet on the signing of one of the remaining big-ticket free agents such as Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, but nothing can be ruled out, either.
“It’s always pitching,” Cashman said. “You can score as much as you want, but the pitching’s always the keys to the kingdom.”
Kluber coming aboard?
On Thursday afternoon, Cashman confirmed a Newsday report from earlier in the day regarding the organization’s discussions with two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, who recently retired, about a yet-to-be-defined role with the club.
“We’ve had brief conversation,” Cashman said. “Obviously, threw a no-hitter for us and had real big impact on our clubhouse when he was here. Just the beginning of conversations.”
Kluber, who went 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA for the Yankees in 2021, threw a no-hitter against the Rangers on May 19 of that season in Arlington. Michael King, traded to the Padres in the offseason, often credited Kluber with the development of his slider.
