NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 13: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees in action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on April 13, 2022 in New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 6-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The Yankees are off to a sluggish start which should have Brian Cashman questioning some of his offseason moves.
The Yankees are still in the early days of their regular season but the team’s mediocre start is causing lots of fans to question the moves Brian Cashman did and didn’t make during the offseason. In particular, the team’s inactivity in free agency has long-time fans in the Bronx anxious about the short-term prospects for their favorite franchise.
In fairness, Cashman is operating under different financial rules than he did earlier in his tenure. He no longer possesses a blank check to fix the team’s roster via free agency.
It’s still fair to criticize several decisions he made this offseason. Cashman should be having second thoughts on the following five calls.
Yankees rumors: Offseason mistakes Brian Cashman regrets
5. Doing nothing to upgrade the starting rotation
The Yankees’ pitching staff has been excellent to start the campaign, but Gerrit Cole’s struggles as the team’s ace don’t bode well for the postseason. New York could have opted to move for a legitimate No. 2 starter in the offseason but elected to trust their internal options.
The good news for Cashman is that Luis Severino looks to have rediscovered some of his former magic. The Yankees need him to pitch like a co-ace if they’re going to make serious noise in the playoffs.
Even so, trusting him to stay healthy seems like a big gamble. That puts a ton of pressure on Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery, and Nester Cortes to pitch at a high level during both the regular and post-seasons. Cashman could have done more for the rotation and he might regret it down the stretch.
