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By Drew VonScio
Contributing Sports Writer
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The New York Yankees know they can never have too much starting pitching depth, and there are still plenty of names available with just a few weeks to go before spring training.
In a rotation without Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole to start the year, the Bronx bombers will look for all of the help they can get. Even if Luis Gil is perfectly healthy for Opening Day, New York would have just five starting pitchers on its active roster, including recently acquired Ryan Weathers.
One option for the Yankees, according to MLB.com writers Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru and Manny Randhawa, is former Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito.
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"What's left on the starting pitcher market, for the most part, is a crowd of mid-range veterans, some of whom have the capacity to be real difference-makers," they wrote. "Giolito, who pitched to a 4.89 ERA from 2022-23 and then missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing an internal bracing procedure on his right elbow, gave the Red Sox 26 starts in 2025 (10-4, 3.41 ERA). .... That said, there are few teams that couldn't use an additional league-average arm with some upside. Among those clubs still dearly in need, as mentioned by MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi earlier in the month, are Max Fried's Yankees."
Giolito would provide the Yankees with a stable arm that could take the hill every five days. There was, however, a drastic difference between his ERA and other advanced numbers last season, such as his fielding independent pitching (FIP). His underlying metrics suggest he pitched worse than his 4.41 ERA suggests.
However, all he would need to do is hold down the fort long enough for Luis Gil to get back to 100%, along with the returns of Cole and Rodon. If the same struggles emerged, he could be moved to the bullpen as a long reliever.
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