Yankees add Jameson Taillon to Embarrassment of High-Upside Uncertainties
Analysis: The Yankees added another talented starter who has recently been hindered by health.
The Yankees made another addition to their staff on Sunday, acquiring Jameson Taillon from the Pirates. New York shipped four prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange for the righty: RHP Roansy Contreras, INF Maikol Escotto, OF Canaan Smith and RHP Miguel Yajure.
Taillon is a high-risk, high-reward pickup. He is only 29, has two years of control left and looked like a future front-line starter in 2018. Taillon registered a 3.20 ERA, 122 ERA+ and 3.46 FIP that year while making 32 starts and falling just shy of 200 innings. However, Taillon has not thrown a big league pitch since May 2019 thanks to the second Tommy John surgery of his career.
The good news is that Taillon has been throwing bullpens and is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Still, it’s fair to say that the Yankees’ rotation is rather dependent on health and potential. A few thoughts below on that and more now that Taillon has landed in the Bronx…
One Inning…
That’s the number of frames the Yankees’ biggest offseason pitching upgrades – Taillon and Corey Kluber – combined for in 2020. Add Luis Severino and Domingo Germán to that mix, and the total still remains one inning.
We already covered Taillon’s recent injury history up top. Kluber, meanwhile, recorded just three outs as a member of the Rangers before a torn teres major muscle ended his 2020 campaign. Kluber has totaled just 36.2 innings over the last two seasons thanks to some other injuries.
Should those two stay healthy, Kluber and then Taillon figure to slot in behind Gerrit Cole atop the Yankees’ rotation. But that’s a big if, as is the rest of the rotation.
The uncertainty among New York’s starters was highlighted here, but to recap: Jordan Montgomery struggled in 2020 amid his first significant workload following Tommy John surgery. Deivi García, 22 in May, has six career starts. Germán missed all of 2020 after being suspended for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. Clarke Schmidt has just three games and one start under his belt. Michael King allowed 13 earned runs in four starts in 2020. Severino, barring any setbacks, will not return from Tommy John surgery until midseason.
All this is not to say the Yankees don’t have talent. Quite the contrary. There are some strong young arms in this group, and Cole, Kluber and Severino offer Cy Young potential when healthy. There are just a lot of question marks is all. But it’s better to have an abundance of such pitchers in case of emergency, and the Yankees do. New York also has Jhoulys Chacín and Asher Wojciechowski, two experienced starters, on minors deal if their depth is pushed to the max.
Betting Against Being Battered Up
Staying on the topic of health, the Yankees have struggled mightily in that department over the last two seasons. Now they’re betting their rotation’s success – and their championship aspirations – on it in 2021.
One possible reason for New York to be more optimistic in the injury department: this is Eric Cressey’s first full offseason with the team after he took over as the Yankees’ director of player health and performance last January.
Cressey played a part in the Kluber signing. The pitcher had been training with Cressey, who was able to give the Yankees some insight into his health after two seasons lost to injury.
Cole Connection and Resiliency
Taillon didn’t come with an endorsement from Cressey, but he does have Cole’s blessing. The two were close teammates in Pittsburgh and Cole gave the Yankees a positive recommendation regarding Taillon:
For context, when Cole calls Taillon “resilient,” he’s not necessarily just talking about the multiple Tommy John surgeries or general baseball adversity. Cole watched Taillon fight testicular cancer in 2017, their last year together in the Steel City.
Taillon underwent surgery as a result of his diagnosis. He made his first rehab start less than three weeks later.
"I don't think there is any doubt about that," Taillon, then 26, said the following spring training. "I know people always say that when they've gone through something like cancer, but it really is true. I look at life differently. I'm a little more serious about things. I'm a more mature person than I was a year ago at this time."
New Look
Taillon’s mechanics will look noticeably different than they did the last time he pitched in the majors. Go back and check out his arm action in that bullpen video above. It’s pretty short and compact, and that’s been consistent in other videos Taillon has posted this offseason.
Compare that to his mechanics in 2019:
That right arm is doing a lot more looping. Taillon also made some changes to his footwork:
“It’s tricky to change the way you throw, the way you’ve been throwing since you’re a kid,” Taillon said in December, per TribLive. “But I came to the realization that, two Tommy Johns kind of lets you know that what you’re doing isn’t isn’t working. Something has to change.”
For more on Taillon’s mechanics and expectations for a pitcher that’s undergone two Tommy John surgeries, check out this piece from The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler.
Pittsburgh’s Return
The Pirates, forever trading their best starters, got a solid package back for Taillon considering his recent injury history.
Yajure was the Yankees' No. 15 prospect, per MLB.com, and already has a cup of coffee in the majors thanks to the weird 2020 season. He had not previously pitched above Double-A. There’s a good chance the 22-year-old makes it to Pittsburgh in 2021.
Contreras (No. 19) and Smith (No. 21) are both just 21 and have yet to play above Single-A, but they shined in 2019. Escotto, meanwhile, was unranked and had only played Dominican Summer League ball in the Yankees’ organization.
This is a fair return for a team in the midst of a rebuild, but it’s also a group of players the Yankees won’t miss.
What’s Next in New York?
Taillon will make just $2.25 million in 2021, and you can bet that figure played a part in New York’s interest.
The Yankees clearly want to stay under the $210 million Competitive Balance Tax threshold, and this move allowed them to so do while still maintaining a few million dollars’ worth of wiggle room. Some of that wiggle room needs to be saved for the season in case more reinforcements are needed, but the Yankees could still use a left-handed bat and perhaps some relief help.
Trading Adam Ottavino after a disappointing 2020 is one way to shed some salary and make additional moves more likely this offseason. His tax number is $9 million in 2021. The Yankees have explored the idea, per the New York Post, but probably wouldn’t be able to dump that entire figure and/or would need to include prospects as sweeteners.
Gary Phillips is a reporter, writer and editor for hire. He has written for The Athletic, The New York Times, Sporting News, USA Today Sports, Bleacher Report and Yankees Magazine, among others. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com.