The New York Yankees spent a lot of time trying to upgrade their starting rotation this winter. It included separate pursuits of hurlers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell before landing Marcus Stroman in free agency. Could Milwaukee Brewers hurler Corbin Burnes be their next target after the regular season starts?
In a January 30 report for NJ.com, Bob Klapisch shared that moving on from Snell could “forge a path to Plan B — Brewers ace Corbin Burnes.” He also added that general manager Brian Cashman was willing to sign Snell for up to $28 million per year. Stroman’s luxury-tax salary in 2024 is $18.5 million, per Spotrac. Hypothetically, that gives the Bombers approximately $10 million to spend on the rotation.
Burnes has been a trade candidate all winter despite not getting dealt. He’ll probably start the year in Milwaukee. But if they fall out of postseason contention, the club could look to move the remaining balance of his $15.6 million salary. Especially since he’ll be a free agent next winter.
While the Yankees wouldn’t be the only team trying to acquire Burnes, Klapisch notes that the hurler’s pro-rated salary wouldn’t deter team owner Hal Steinbrenner from making a deal.
A Look at the Yankees’ Current 2024 Starting Rotation
Heading into 2024, the Yankees’ rotation is led by reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. FanGraphs’ Roster Resource also has Stroman, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes rounding out the starting five.
Schmidt posted a 4.64 ERA through 159 innings in 2023, which was his first full big-league season as a starter. Stroman has been a mostly dependable hurler throughout his career. The other two have more question marks right now.
Rodón’s first season of a six-year, $162 million deal was a disaster. He hit the injured list multiple times, limiting him to 64.1 innings. The southpaw posted a 6.85 ERA and 1.45 WHIP during that time. Health issues also limited Cortes to 63.1 innings, producing a 4.97 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.
Both Rodón and Cortes have been selected for All-Star Games and finished within the top 10 of Cy Young Award voting in the not-too-distant past. The ability is there and a turnaround from each isn’t out of the question. Acquiring outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham via trade with the San Diego Padres took a chunk of the Yankees’ perceived rotation depth, though. New York is more or less counting on turnarounds from these two.
Cashman has publicly acknowledged his concerns with the rotation. “I think we have a good rotation if everything goes right, which we know is something you don’t want to count on,” he said during the January 18 press conference.
Even if things are going great for New York’s rotation come summer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the front office try to make another impact move for that area of the roster.
Burnes Has Been Consistently Elite Since 2020
The Yankees’ starting staff currently doesn’t provide a ton of top-to-bottom confidence when it comes to consistency. But that’s exactly what Burnes could provide.
Milwaukee’s ace won the 2021 National League Cy Young Award. He’s also finished in the top 10 of voting each year since 2020. This has included three straight All-Star Game selections (2021-23) with three consecutive years of 167-plus innings pitched and 200-plus strikeouts. Over Burnes’ last 622.1 frames, he’s posted a 37-22 record with a 2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 765 strikeouts. He’s also had a taste of postseason baseball with Milwaukee in 2018, 2021 and 2023.
The Yankees’ pursuit to add top-tier rotation talent might be done for the offseason. However, it could still be a to-do list item for Cashman ahead of this summer’s trade deadline.
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MLB Insider Floats Idea of a Yankees Blockbuster Trade to Bolster Rotation