Yankees Among Worst Rotations in Playoff Race

The New York Yankees are trying to chase down the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East and hold off the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card standings.

Aug 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) walks to the dugout in the middle of the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Seeing is believing and at least one MLB insider can't get behind the New York Yankees' starting rotation. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked the starters among the 14 teams still in the playoff mix. The Yankees came in at No. 11.

Yankees fans might have sticker shock when seeing that since Max Fried leads the majors with 18 wins and teammate Carlos Rodon is tied for second with 17 victories.

McDaniel had two issues with the Yankees starters. One is the lack of playoff success by their left-handed aces. The other is the lack of experience among the rest of the rotation: Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren.

"Fried and Rodon have some mixed outcomes in their postseason history, though their underlying performance is pretty consistent with the regular season," McDaniel wrote. "Schlittler has only made a dozen big league starts and Gil has made nine starts this season with two career playoff appearances and a 6.75 career playoff ERA.

Aug 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"All that to say that there's a distinct downside risk here and the bullpen is a strength, so the relievers could get a lot of work," McDaniel added. "It's imperative that Fried and Rodon post to give the Yankees a chance to make a deep run and their 2025 regular season performance gives you some hope that could be a reality.

It's worth noting that McDaniel said his ranking of the Yankees' rotation would be much higher had ace and former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole not missed the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees remain in the mix for a division title and are trying to chase down the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. New York also sits atop the AL Wild Card standings and is trying to hold off the Boston Red Sox.

FanGraphs gives the Yankees a 100% chance of making the playoffs (even though they haven't clinched a spot yet) and a 13.2% chance of winning the World Series. Only the Seattle Mariners (21.3%) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (14.3%) have better World Series odds than the Yankees.

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