Yankees take a page out of Rays’ playbook with signing of veteran starting pitcher

It's rare to see a team learn from a fairly new organization, especially when the club doing the learning is 123 years old. Nevertheless, the Yankees have taken some advice from a successful Rays club with the signing of veteran starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani. Tampa Bay has executed a similar accomplishment numerous times with most of them ending in triumph. How will the 35-year old hurler fare in pinstripes?

This is not the first time this season that the Yankees front office has attempted this feat. They signed former Guardians' Cy Young finalist, Carlos Carrasco this past offseason as he tried to make an MLB comeback. However, those efforts recently faltered after a rough relief outing against your very own Tampa Bay Rays.

The signing of DeSclafani comes with its own clear risks, as the New Jersey native hasn't pitched in the majors since his 2023 campaign with the San Francisco Giants. An elbow strain ended his 2024 season before it was able to begin. Therefore, the right-hander must be thrilled for this opportunity in the Bronx.

The Rays have also had their portion of veteran signings, especially in the starting pitcher department. One their most successful examples is a similar case of the DeSclafani-Yankees signing. The deal involved current Orioles starter Charlie Morton. When the Rays signed the hurler at the ripe age of 35, he had recently come off of a World Series championship and his first All-Star appearance. Regardless, Cash and company felt that they could get even more out of the former Astro.

That's exactly what they did! Morton had arguably his best season when he joined the Rays in 2019. He went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA in a career-high 194.2 innings. Morton also finished third in a loaded AL Cy Young race behind future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.

Meanwhile, this isn't the only instance where the Rays have revived a veteran starter's career. Recently retired Corey Kluber, Zach Eflin, and Rich Hill all inked with Tampa after turning 30 years old. All three of them were substantial contributors in their respective seasons with Eflin even taking over the ace role when McClanahan was sidelined.

While the Yankees have already failed at this tall endeavor once this season, there's reason to believe that this could be a successful reset for DeSclafani. Hopefully, the Yankees front office took notes on how the Rays execute their situations.