Do the Yankees have a Pitching Problem?

The Yankees have gotten off to a 7-5 start in 2025. Now despite there being 7 wins, there have been some major issues with the team so far.

Starting Rotation

The Yankees starting rotation, besides Max Fried, has been very underwhelming.

The fact that the Yankees' starting rotation, excluding the stellar performance of Max Fried on Wednesday, is collectively posting a 6.04 ERA is deeply concerning. This bloated ERA signifies a significant lack of consistent quality and effectiveness from the majority of their starters.

When your rotation, meant to be a pillar of strength and stability, is yielding over six earned runs per nine innings, it puts an immense strain on the offense to consistently score a high number of runs just to remain competitive. It also severely taxes the bullpen, forcing them into higher-leverage situations earlier in games and potentially leading to fatigue and decreased effectiveness as the season wears on (we will discuss the bullpen later).

This glaring statistic highlights a critical vulnerability that opposing teams will undoubtedly look to exploit. A rotation struggling to keep runs off the board makes every game an uphill battle, particularly against strong offensive lineups, like the DBacks and Tigers, which the Yankees lost both series at the hands of those teams.

It also diminishes the impact of Fried's excellent performances; one strong outing can only do so much to counteract the struggles of the other four starters. For a team with aspirations of of winning a World Series, this level of underperformance from such a vital component is simply unsustainable.

It raises serious questions about the current health, effectiveness, and overall depth of the Yankees' starting pitching and necessitates urgent evaluation and potential adjustments to address this significant weakness.

Now, obviously, the imminent return of Clarke Schmit, who, if all goes well, will have his final rehab start on April 10th in Somerset. He should return to the Yankee Rotation as soon as next week. Luis Gil is scheduled to begin throwing in the upcoming days, and hopefully he will be able to return by the end of the All Star Break.

The Yankee Bullpen

The Yankee bullpen, thus far, has presented a mixed bag of results that leans towards the side of underwhelming, creating a noticeable area of concern for the team. While there have been glimpses of reliability from a couple of arms, the overall consistency and trustworthiness in high-leverage situations appear to be lacking for the majority of the relief corps.

Luke Weaver has emerged as a steady presence, and Tim Hill, the left-handed specialist, has also provided a measure of comfort when he takes the mound. However, beyond these two, a sense of unease seems to accompany the entrance of many other relievers.

Fernando Cruz, for instance, possesses intriguing stuff and has shown flashes of brilliance, but his propensity for issuing walks and surrendering hard contact, including home runs, makes those appearances a tightrope walk for fans and the coaching staff alike.

Mark Leiter Jr. has also demonstrated potential and has had some clean outings, yet the memory of that pivotal grand slam he surrendered last week to Suarez still lingers, highlighting a vulnerability to the big hit in crucial moments.

Ryan Yarbrough, another arm the Yankees are relying on, has similarly experienced his share of struggles early in the season, failing to consistently shut down opposing offenses.

Perhaps the most concerning development has been the performance of Devin Williams. Acquired with the expectation of being a lockdown closer, his outings have been underwhelming, marked by inconsistency and a lack of the dominant presence he displayed with his former team.

This current state of the bullpen, outside of a couple of reliable arms, leaves a significant question mark at the back end of games and could prove to be a major hurdle for the Yankees as the season progresses, particularly in tight contests where preserving a lead is paramount.

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