The New York Yankees did not get their season off to an ideal start after the team fell to the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day. However, the loss might not be the biggest worry the Yankees have at the moment. On Monday, Masahiro Tanaka got the start after ending his first season with the team early due to an elbow injury. Tanaka claims his elbow is fine after skipping out on surgery, but that might not be the case.
On Monday, Tanaka's velocity appeared to be an issue as the New York Daily News reports his fastball only clocked around 90 miles an hour which is well below his average. To make matters worse, the starting pitcher gave up five runs in the third innings before getting yanked in the fourth. It was the shortest start for a Yankees Opening Day pitcher since 1985. So the attention once again shifts back to the elbow.
Tanaka missed two months of last season thanks to a frayed elbow ligament. He took the option of having a 10-week break and rehab hoping to heal the issue. Doctors did not recommend Tommy John surgery, but the fear is certainly present that it might be the end result. Manager Joe Girardi told the media after the game that he was not worried about Tanaka and the pitcher's health, but cutting his debut short and giving him six days of rest between starts might tell a different story.
The Yankees need Tanaka at full strength. They have Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi and Adam Warren to found out their pitching rotation. Tanaka is expected to headline it while they wait for players like Ivan Nova to get healthy and Sabathia to improve. If Tanaka is not as healthy as Girardi is making him out to be, would the Yankees make a trade?
According to CBS Sports Jon Heyman, the Yankees could get very serious about attempting to acquire Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies. Hamels was the team's Opening Day pitcher on Monday and promptly got rocked by the Boston Red Sox. He has been on the trade blocks for the entire offseason as the Phillies attempted to rebuild and no one made an offer. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Blode reported that the Yankees did inquire about a price on Hamels and got closer than any other team in making a deal. If Tanaka struggles, Hamels could be the guy the team turns to.
There are certainly other options for the Yankees if they are forced to make a move. According to ESPNNewYork.com, the Mets are willing to trade Dillon Gee despite losing Zack Wheeler to Tommy John surgery. The Mets have enough pitching prospects to make a deal of Gee easy to overcome. Jordan Zimmermann of the Washington Nationals could be available at the right price along with David Price of the Detroit Tigers although the latter is highly unlikely to happen.
