After an explosive offensive launch to their 2025 campaign, the New York Yankees now confront an all-too-familiar challenge: a vulnerable starting rotation exposed by cooling bats and thinning depth. With Carlos Carrasco delivering underwhelming performances and the organization’s premier arms sidelined, the Bronx Bombers may soon explore unconventional approaches to address their pitching woes before the summer trade market develops.
Sources from The Athletic, namely Chris Kirschner, indicate the Yankees are considering severing ties with Carrasco, who suffered another difficult outing this week and currently carries a concerning 7.71 ERA through three starts. Should this move materialize, it would not only signal heightened urgency from the front office but potentially pave the way for an unexpected strategic shift: transitioning reliever Brent Headrick into a starting role.
“If the Yankees decided to part ways with Carrasco, one outside-the-box depth idea the club could consider is stretching out reliever Brent Headrick,” Kirschner wrote.
Carrasco’s struggles prompt strategic reassessment
Carrasco’s latest appearance—surrendering 4 earned runs and 3 home runs across 4.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers—may represent the final chapter of his Yankees tenure. Initially viewed as a low-risk veteran anchor following a promising spring showing, the 38-year-old’s command issues, and velocity decline have rendered him a liability within an already stretched rotation.
His performance reflects broader concerns throughout the pitching staff. Early season results reveal troubling patterns:
- Marcus Stroman posted a 7.27 ERA through two starts
- Will Warren carry a 6.00 ERA after two appearances
- Carlos Rodón struggling with a 5.19 ERA over three outings
Only offseason addition Max Fried has delivered reliable performances, while ace Gerrit Cole remains sidelined for the year recovering from Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil continues rehabilitating a lat strain.
With offensive production suddenly dwindling—just six runs scored across their last three contests—these pitching deficiencies have become impossible to disguise.
Headrick emerges as surprise solution
With Carrasco seemingly headed for release, the Yankees appear poised to resurrect a strategy more commonly employed at minor league levels: converting a long reliever into a starter. Brent Headrick, acquired from the Minnesota Twins organization during the offseason, presents an intriguing candidate.
Headrick operated as a starter as recently as 2023 and has displayed enhanced arsenal components this season. Equipped with an improved fastball and newly developed splitter, the left-hander impressively recorded nine strikeouts across 5.1 innings before being optioned to Triple-A.
Transitioning Headrick back to a starting role involves considerable risk. His experience against elite hitters in a rotation capacity remains limited, and such a conversion would necessitate vigilant workload monitoring. Nevertheless, for a Yankees club seeking internal remedies until the trade deadline, this may represent their most viable temporary solution.
Reinforcements on the horizon
Relief appears forthcoming, albeit not immediately. Clarke Schmidt, who ranked among the Yankees’ most effective starters in 2024, currently progressing through a rehabilitation assignment with an anticipated mid-April return to the rotation. Last season, Schmidt maintained a stellar 2.85 ERA across 16 appearances while providing stability throughout the postseason. His reintegration could offer a critical reset for a unit lacking dependability.
Concurrently, Luis Gil, who began the season on the 60-day injured list, is expected to resume throwing activities this week. A successful comeback later this summer could further strengthen the staff—provided the Yankees remain competitive until then.
However, the organization will likely maintain a cautious approach with both pitchers given their injury histories. Neither can reasonably shoulder significant workloads immediately, meaning the Yankees must extract more from their current arms—or devise resourceful internal solutions to bridge the gap.
Trade market considerations loom large
While external acquisitions remain possible to fortify their rotation, meaningful trades likely won’t materialize until nearer the July 30 trade deadline. Pitching demand throughout MLB already exceeds supply, with few organizations willing to surrender starting talent during the season’s early stages.
This reality places substantial pressure on manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman to improvise—whether by deploying Headrick, promoting additional Triple-A talent, or reconfiguring bullpen responsibilities to cover additional innings.
“At this point,” Kirschner wrote, “the Yankees need Schmidt to come back and stabilize the rotation, hope Gil doesn’t have a setback in his rehab, get better results out of Warren and Rodón as the weather improves, and reassess closer to the deadline.”
Historically, Cashman has resisted panic-driven early-season transactions. However, with the Yankees’ championship window undeniably open, continued rotation deterioration might necessitate uncharacteristically aggressive intervention.
Offensive slowdown exposes vulnerabilities
Exacerbating the rotation concerns is the Yankees’ sudden offensive regression. Following a historic opening stretch that produced 72 runs across eight games, the lineup has dramatically cooled, managing merely six runs during three consecutive defeats.
This downturn has highlighted the organization’s precarious pitching depth, transforming every Stroman, Warren, and Rodón start into a high-stakes proposition. The lineup’s capacity to compensate for pitching shortcomings clearly has limits—a reality now confronting the Yankees.
Can the Yankees tread troubled water?
For the immediate future, the Yankees appear committed to addressing their pitching challenges internally. Carrasco’s departure seems imminent, Headrick potentially awaits opportunity, and Schmidt’s return offers prospective stability. However, without Stroman and Rodón rediscovering effective form soon, New York risks falling behind in the fiercely competitive AL East before reaching the season’s traditional first milestone.
The Yankees’ 2025 prospects will hinge on whether their makeshift rotation can withstand the next 10-12 weeks. Because once the trade deadline arrives, expectations crystallize: championship or bust. Until then, survival becomes paramount.
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