While the New York Yankees have a strong pitching staff that will get better with the return of Gerrit Cole, a new report claims they are eyeing the addition of a starting pitcher who has taken the league by storm in 2024.
Entering the MLB games today, the Yankees are on an absolute tear. They have won 13 of their last 16, have a solid 3.5-game lead in the American League East, and own the best record in all of baseball at 50-22. The scariest thing about their impressive start to the season is they have done it without ace and 2023 AL Cy Young Gerrit Cole.
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However, his absence has mattered little because the starting staff led by youngster Luis Gil has been absolutely dominant. That is why they will have some tough decisions to make when Cole returns to action in the next few weeks. Yet, the team is actually looking at adding another starting pitcher who has had a big season this year.
This week, New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman claimed that “the Yankees are believed to like White Sox reliever-turned-starter Garrett Crochet.”
- Garrett Crochet stats (2024): 6-5 record, 3.15 ERA, 0.895 ERA, 116 SO, 19 BB, 82.2 IP
The 24-year-old that Chicago used the 11th overall pick on in 2020 has been one of the few bright spots on a disastrous White Sox team this year. In 15 starts he has racked up a league-leading 116 strikeouts and has an MLB-best 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings average. His outstanding start is also why the Sox might have a high asking price for Crochet.
However, he has already pitched 21 1/3 more innings than he ever has before, which is a similar concern the team has about Gil. Yet, Crochet’s big league experience as a reliever makes a late-season switch to the bullpen for New York a logical move for the talented lefty.
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