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The Yankees have set their roster and have started their season, but that doesn't mean the organization is content with what they have at the moment. The team planned to use Chris Capuano as their fifth starter before he went down with an injury, so now Adam Warren will take his place. Neither are entirely reliable over the long season ahead, and with question marks already surrounding CC Sabathia, it makes sense that the Yankees are still looking for pitching:
#Yankees among clubs looking for rotation depth, a pitcher who could go to Triple A and be ready if needed. Have Mitchell and Whitley...
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 4, 2015
...but will not rush Severino. Wandy fits profile, but other teams may provide better opportunity. #Rays, #Rangers, #Phillies looking.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 4, 2015
Right now their Triple-A rotation is projected to include Kyle Davies, Bryan Mitchell, Chase Whitley, Jaron Long, and Matt Tracy. If nothing changes, that leaves Whitley as the only pitcher there with MLB experience that you could be at least somewhat confident in. Davies hasn't been in the majors since 2011 and so far Mitchell hasn't impressed much. Long is promising, but he might ultimately end up as a bullpen piece and Tracy is pretty much organizational filler. If they don't want to rush Luis Severino, and they shouldn't, the team needs to look outside the organization for more options.
After roster cuts, there are still a few arms left on the open market that the Yankees need to look into. Jhoulys Chacin was released by the Rockies during spring training, and while his numbers aren't very good, he does possess a 48% ground ball rate and an 8.1 HR/FB rate on the road–meaning that getting him out of Coors Field could turn him into an actual usable pitcher. Until recently, Paul Maholm was a league-average innings eater with a 52.2% career ground ball rate. He spent 2014 as a reliever and struggled in his role, but if the Yankees make him a starter again, the Yankee defense could help him regain his standings in the league if he's ever needed in the majors. Kevin Correia isn't a very exciting option, but he's pitched at least 150 innings in the big leagues over the last four years, which is a lot more than what Davies can say for himself.
At this point in the season, it's going to be hard for the Yankees to make some kind of trade. They'll likely have to keep their eyes on the pitchers who will have opt out dates coming up over the next few months to see if anyone of worth falls into the market. Unless Adam Warren is the surprise revelation that no one saw coming, expect the Yankees to be players for a pitcher at the deadline this year.