Projecting Yankees Rotation After Gerrit Cole Signing

The New York Yankees sent shockwaves throughout the MLB landscape on Tuesday night when it was confirmed that they agreed to a nine-year, $324 million contract with Gerrit Cole.

It's a move that indisputably catapults the Pinstripes to World Series favorites in 2020 and beyond, as they now boast one of the league's most imposing starting rotations to go with their powerful young offense.

No, that was not a misprint. If you don't believe us, let's outline what the Yanks starting five could look like after Spring Training.

Yankees Ace: Gerrit Cole

Let's put it this way: Cole would be the No.1 starter on any team in the MLB outside of Houston. Largely tabbed as the game's best pitcher, the 29-year-old right-hander is coming off one of the most dominant two-year stretches we've ever seen. Across 412.2 innings, he's compiled a 35-10 record alongside a 2.68 ERA and 602 strikeouts.

In sum, he's going to shine in the Bronx.

No. 2: Luis Severino

We're talking regular season here, folks, not October baseball. Severino, as he showed in 2017 and 2018, deserves to be labeled as one of the most imposing hurlers in the game. Unfortunately, a lat injury limited him to just three starts in 2019. There's no reason to think, however, that he couldn't retain that status in 2020 after a full offseason spent returning to full strength.

Giving Sevy the No. 2 spot could do wonders for his confidence.

No. 3: James Paxton

It's wild to think about the numbers Paxton could have posted if not for his mind-blowing first inning woes. Despite that, however, the Big Maple proved to Bronx buffs that he was worth what the Yanks gave up for him last offseason with tremendous outings down the stretch and into October.

Something tells us the 31-year-old southpaw will thrive without the burden of being the club's ace, a role he had to personify in 2019 thanks to a rash of injuries.

No. 4: Masahiro Tanaka

Tanaka was about as unpredictable and erratic as any big league pitcher last season, recording a lousy 4.45 ERA, 1.242 WHIP, and a career-low 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. As is the two-time All-Star's forte, however, he overcame those shortcomings and excelled in October, mustering a 2.25 ERA in three starts (11 innings).

Deploying Tanaka as your No.4 starter is simply unfair, but that's what signing a pitcher of Cole's caliber can do for a club.

No. 5: Jordan Montgomery

This No.5 spot is subject to change throughout 2020, and it probably will. Domingo German will likely receive a lengthy suspension stemming from his domestic violence charges and the Pinstripes are rumored to be shopping JA Happ, who (somehow) flaunts a legitimate market.

Because of those narratives, we will give the caboose role to Montgomery, though there's no reason to think that a prospect like Deivi Garcia couldn't make the spot his own if the 26-year-old left-hander were to falter.

There you have it, folks. Consider this a warning to the rest of the MLB.