Keith believes the Yankees rotation is likely set after introducing Marcus Stroman on Thursday, and while there are question marks, he doesn’t blame the Yankees for balking at Blake Snell.
“Of course I’m concerned. I’m concerned for Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes,” Keith said. “So you have slight caution, even a little bit of pessimism.
“Scott Boras set the market [for Snell] at nine years, $270 million. That’s what made the Yankees pivot to Marcus Stroman, and the Giants pivot to Jordan Hicks. Who’s doing that? I hear Yankee fans clamoring for this guy. Did you not watch him pitch at all? He’s not Gerrit Cole…he doesn’t go deep in games. I can’t give a guy that much money.”
The Yanks could still bolster the rotation by signing Josh Hader, but the lefty wants the most money for a reliever in league history, and Keith says sometimes, it’s best to walk away from the table.
“I can’t say the Yankees need Snell or Hader…sometimes it doesn’t line up like that,” Keith said. “Stroman, I think it lined up perfectly. A great contract. You can’t get finessed.”