With Schmidt Coming Back, What Comes Next?

The New York Yankees are winning some games thanks to a lineup that can mash baseballs into orbit — not because there’s a well-oiled machine humming beneath the surface, but because the front office keeps duct-taping over a rotation built on hope, hunches, and injury reports. 

As Bob Klapisch says: “Between Carlos Rodon (5.19 ERA), Will Warren (6.00), Carlos Carrasco (7.71) and Stroman (11.57), Boone’s starters aren’t just mired in an early-season slump, they’ve been a liability.”

Once again, we’re watching talented pitchers get thrown into the fire while the suits upstairs play fantasy baseball with real lives and real stakes.

Clarke Schmidt is the latest name in the rehab parade, and — good news! — he actually looks sharp. After dealing with shoulder tendinitis to start the season, because of course someone did, Schmidt shoved in his second rehab start: four innings, four strikeouts, no walks, and barely a blemish. That should be great news, right? But this is the Yankees we’re talking about — so naturally, this beacon of health just creates another roster conundrum the front office seems uniquely unqualified to handle.

Because when Schmidt comes back — likely around April 15 or 16 — someone’s got to go. Now, if this were a team that made sensible, merit-based decisions, Carlos Carrasco would already be polishing his plane ticket. The veteran just got thumped by the Tigers and hasn’t shown much to hang his hat on. But don’t be surprised if the casualty ends up being rookie Will Warren instead. Why? Because logic rarely lives in the Bronx anymore. My opinion of course.

Warren, by the way, just notched his first major league win yesterday with a very respectable five-inning, two-run, six-strikeout effort against the Giants. He didn’t reinvent the wheel, but he gave the Yankees a chance to win — and they did, once the offense finally woke up in the fifth. It was the kind of gritty, steady start you love to see from a rookie. Which, of course, means he’s probably being fitted for his Triple-A uniform as we speak.

It’s maddening. Carrasco and Warren both pitched well enough in spring to earn their spots, but the Yankees front office treats their rotation like a game of Jenga: keep pulling blocks at random and act shocked when it all collapses. There’s no vision, no long-term thinking, just reactionary shuffling and the constant whiff of panic perfume.

You can’t help but feel for the players. Warren is being asked to prove himself with every pitch, knowing that even his best efforts might not be enough to hold off the front office’s next whim. Carrasco, bless his veteran heart, looks like he’s surviving on fumes. And Boone? That dope is left managing a staff held together with chewing gum and crossed fingers. It always feels like a struggle with this team. Why is everything a struggle? Well, you know me. I blame the manager and front office.

Maybe Warren’s win bought him a little time. Maybe the Yankees pull the plug on Carrasco’s experiment before it gets even more embarrassing. But with the way things have gone in recent years, expecting the Yankees front office to make the right call is like expecting a cat to fetch. We’ve seen this movie before — and it’s always the player doing everything right who gets the boot.

So here we are. The bats are bailing them out, the rotation’s a mess, and the front office is — as usual — fumbling through decisions like a sleepwalker in a minefield. The players deserve better. And frankly, so do the fans.