MLB season preview: Is Yankees bullpen good enough to reach October?

Editor’s Note: With the arrival of baseball season we’re previewing each MLB team, from worst to best. We’ll look at their key offseason moves, projected lineup, best and worst possible outcomes plus examine the team’s fantasy implications with the help of friends from Roto Arcade. Our daily series continues with No. 13: The New York Yankees.

The New York Yankees are still old. Their starting rotation still has question marks. And they’re still paying A-Rod $20 million this season. People have made jokes about these things in the past, but in 2015 this version of the Yankees didn’t fare too bad. It won 87 games and made it to a wild-card game.

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(AP) All this is to say: The Yankees are better than you think. Especially now that they’ve created a three-headed monster in their bullpen consisting of Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman (well, once Chapman’s 30-game suspension is over.)

A-Rod and Mark Teixeira proved last season they could still play. Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow didn’t snap. And Nathan Eovaldi showed he might be realizing his potential finally. If a couple more veterans return to form and a youngster or two make an impact, the Yankees could very well be playing in October again. Especially with that bullpen. Of course, the risk of an older lineup is that big injuries are more likely and the question marks are a little more in your face.

But the Royals have shown us it’s wise to bet on bullpens, and that’s the Yanks are doing this year. (Mike Oz)

Key additions: Aroldis Chapman, Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks

Key subtractions: Chris Young, Justin Wilson, John Ryan Murphy

The Yankees did not sign a single player to a major-league contract this winter. While that means they missed out on some premium free-agent talent, it doesn’t mean they weren’t able to find ways to improve. Chapman gives the club one of the best bullpens in recent memory, though the fact that the team acquired him as he was being investigated under the league’s domestic violence policy makes the entire transaction icky. Castro is coming off a down year, and had been pushed out by the Cubs young prospects, but he’s been a promising player in the past. A change of scenery could work wonders. (Chris Cwik)

Nathan Eovaldi: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Eovaldi has been a popular breakout guy for a couple years now, but never seems to fully get there. It’s not hard to see why the former is the case. Eovaldi averaged over 97 mph with his fastball last season, which is the best among all starters. Guys like that should strike out a ton of hitters, right? Not in Eovaldi’s case.

[Elsewhere: Chris Sale continues tirade against White Sox over Drake LaRoche]

There is reason for hope, though. Eovaldi made some changes in the second half that could hint at some growth. He started relying on his splitter more often, and that led to both a higher strikeout rate and a better ground ball rate. Those are big positives, even though the changes didn’t occur in a huge sample. We don’t blame you if you’re skeptical once again, but Eovaldi could be a breakout candidate once again if the second half changes stick. (Cwik)

Lineup:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF (.257/.318/.345, 66 R, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 21 SB)
2. Brett Gardner, OF (.259/.343/.399, 94 R, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 20 SB)
3. Alex Rodriguez, DH (.250/.356/.486, 83 R, 33 HR, 86 RBI)
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B (.255/.357/.548, 57 R, 31 HR, 79 RBI)
5. Carlos Beltran, OF (.276/.337/.471, 57 R, 19 HR, 67 RBI)
6. Brian McCann, C (.232/.320/.437, 68 R, 26 HR, 94 RBI)
7. Chase Headley, 3B (.259/.324/.369, 74 R, 11 HR, 62 RBI)
8. Starlin Castro, 2B (.265/.296/.375, 52 R, 11 HR, 69 RBI)
9. Didi Gregorius, SS (.265/.318/.370, 57 R, 9 HR, 56 RBI)

Rotation:
1. Masahiro Tanaka (12-7, 3.51 ERA, 154 IP, 139 K)
2. Michael Pineda (12-10, 4.37 ERA, 160.2 IP, 156 K)
3. Nathan Eovaldi (14-3, 4.20 ERA, 154.1 IP, 121 K)
4. CC Sabathia (6-10, 4.73 ERA, 167.1 IP, 137 K)
5. Luis Severino (5-3, 2.89 ERA, 62.1 IP, 56 K)

The Yankees have the talent to contend for another AL East title and make a run to the World Series. The key will be avoiding notable injuries, and they’ve already been dealt one with the loss of Greg Bird for the season. Another key will be getting more innings from the rotation to bridge the gap to the big three relievers. If those things happen, a 90-win season is a strong possibility. (Mark Townsend)

The Yankees have a lot of things that could go wrong and derail their path to the postseason. That begins with an aging core of position players, and it continues with an injury-plagued starting rotation that was held together by tape the past two seasons. If the latter trend continues, they’ll get bumped from postseason contenders to an 80-82 win team. (Townsend)

How will Aroldis Chapman adjust to a new team and league? We can’t answer that question until Chapman completes his 30-game domestic abuse suspension; he won’t be eligible to pitch for the Yankees until May 9. In the meantime, New York has two capable late-innings flamethrowers in Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances. If the Yanks are cruising right along through the opening month, will they force Chapman immediately back into the closer role? And will there be any hiccups now that Chapman is forced to pitch in the hitter’s league and in more taxing ballparks? Given how much volatility goes into the global chase for saves, I’m likely to pass on Chapman at his current 75.2 ADP. I’d like a safer play at that price point (and a full season of handshakes); otherwise, I’ll just cobble together a bullpen on a budget.

[Elsewhere: 10 guys I won’t be drafting this season in fantasy baseball]

Can Alex Rodriguez keep producing at age 40? A-Rod was the shocking savior to the Yankees offense last year, cranking 33 homers, driving in 86 runs and scoring 83 more — a major statement on the heels of a full-season suspension. He’s no longer helpful in other categories (.250 average, four steals) but the overall haul was far past what the club expected. The Yahoo drafting public isn’t chasing after Rodriguez this spring — you can land him just inside Pick 200 in a typical league. If you’re looking for pop on a budget, we’ll sign off on Rodriguez keeping around 85-90 percent of his counting stats from last year. Just remember he turns 41 in late July, and he’s a utility-only player as we open the Yahoo season.

Say what you will about Alex Rodriguez, but you must admit his Twitter account is pretty entertaining, at least in a very A-Rod way. Over at @AROD, you’ll find plenty of “candid” shots of the Yankees star doing an assortment of activities on and off the field. Want to see pictures of him cooking, or taking calls at his desk? Head over to Twitter and follow A-Rod! The comedic value is high and there’s even some self-deprecation taking place, which has somewhat helped alter how some fans perceive Rodriguez. (Israel Fehr)

Someday, fans will look at this pic of @thejudge44 and @MichaelONeill10 and say “who’s the old guy in the middle” pic.twitter.com/29UjaeRKVW

— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) March 5, 2016

The Yankees may still be the “Evil Empire” to some people, but they did one thing this spring that no one can call evil. The team signed Landis Sims, a 10-year-old born without hands and lower legs, to a one-day contract. Sims hung out with A-Rod, took BP and had a fantastic big-league experience. (Mike Oz)