The New York Yankees have opened the season with a 9–7 record, sitting atop the American League East by a narrow half-game over the 9–8 Toronto Blue Jays as of Tuesday. While their start hasn’t been overwhelmingly dominant, it’s been effective enough to keep them in the lead.
However, with only 16 games played, the big question is whether the Yankees can sustain this level of performance.
MLB insider and New York Post columnist Jon Heyman addressed that very topic on Monday. He pointed out that despite cold weather conditions, an offense that has cooled off since the first series against the Brewers, and the absence of key sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto, the Yankees’ lineup is still delivering. But he questioned if it’s enough to carry them through the season.
Offensively, the Yankees have been exceptional. Their team OPS+ of 142 means they’ve been hitting 42% better than the league average. For comparison, the next best team, the Cardinals, sits at 128. Only six MLB teams have an OPS+ over 120, putting the Yankees well ahead of the pack in terms of production at the plate.
Pitching, however, tells a different story. The Yankees’ ERA+ is just 93 — meaning their pitching is 7% worse than league average — ranking among the bottom third of the league. Their starting rotation has struggled badly, with an ERA of 5.17, second-worst in MLB. Though the bullpen has fared slightly better at 3.50, it’s still only middle of the pack.
One bright spot is Max Fried, the high-profile offseason addition who’s posted a 1.56 ERA in his first three starts. But he’s been the lone standout among a shaky rotation.
Help may be on the way with injured starters Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil targeting returns before June, but in the meantime, Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media has floated a potential trade target: Pablo López of the Minnesota Twins.
López, a 29-year-old righty, was off to an excellent start before a hamstring injury sidelined him, boasting a 1.62 ERA over 16 2/3 innings. He’s been highly effective, with elite metrics in strikeout-to-walk ratio, ground ball rate, and pitch value. Given Minnesota’s poor start (5–12), they might consider moving López, who is owed over $65 million through 2027.
Of course, acquiring a pitcher of López’s caliber would come at a steep cost. Wilson suggests the Yankees would likely have to give up a top prospect — potentially infielder George Lombard Jr., their 2023 first-round pick and No. 1 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
While losing Lombard would be tough, Wilson argues that going all-in for a proven pitcher like López might be worth it if the Yankees want to make a serious postseason run and stabilize their rotation for the long haul.
