New York Yankees: Justin Verlander is missing piece to World Series puzzle
It’s evident that the New York Yankees are contenders this year. The team has gone through an overhaul the last two seasons and may have finally hit pay dirt with a mixture of young and old position players. However, for all the home runs, singles and extra base hits they can muster, one thing is for certain. A great pitching staff is needed to win the World Series. This is where the Yankees must find the necessary trade pieces to present to the Detroit Tigers for Ace Justin Verlander.
I can hear my fellow Yankees fans from my living room in the Bronx saying “we don’t need Verlander to win this. We still have C.C. Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Tanaka plus Chapman”. All true, but think how dangerous the Yanks will be if a team like the Boston Red Sox had to face Verlander twice in a 7-game series.
The Tigers are on the decline and have been for quite some time now. Sooner or later they will be forced to start fielding offers for their top two players, Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. If and when it happens, Brian Cashman should be the first on the phone making an offer. Verlander won’t come cheap, as he’s signed through 2021 with an annual salary of $28M. However, it’s not the money that should concern the Yanks, it’s what the Tigers will want in return for the former Cy Young pitcher.
No matter what the haul may be, Cashman must be willing to get this done. An offer built around Luis Servino or prospect like SS/2B Jorge Mateo may be enough to catch the Tigers’ interest. Throw in a mid-level prospect or two in addition to one of those guys, and a deal could be done. While the Yanks will surely miss the production these players bring, what Verlander offers is much more.
The Yankees have thought about the future with the Chapman signing. Now that they have their pieces in place with Sanchez and Aaron Judge, it’s time for them to pull off a Chapman-like deal as they did with the Cincinnati Reds. It will cost a ton but that’s what teams on the bubble do, they take their chances to win it all. The new look Yankees have a different approach but the new look Yankees have not won a World Series either.
Verlander is struggling this year. His ERA of 4.87 sits as the highest of his career with at least 10 starts. His command is still present but he’s not as feared as he once was. Normally, a team would not only be worried about his production on the mound but also what the Tigers offense could do in the bottom or top of the inning. Cabrera and Ian Kinsler are not as productive as they once were, which places extra pressure on Verlander and the staff. If Justin can get with an offensive powerhouse like the Yankees, with power-hitters such as Judge, Chris Carter, Matt Holliday and Brett Gardner, he can relax and focus on strikeouts and not concern himself with a lack of run support.
Think about this for a moment. A pitching staff with Verlander, Tanaka, Sabathia, Pineda and Jordan Montgomery will put fear in any team in postseason play.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
