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With the New York Yankees being well on their way to winning the AL East division crown, they can look ahead and ponder the tough decisions they will have to make when it comes to their playoff roster. It will be interesting to monitor which pitchers the Yankees roll with in their playoff rotation. One would think that Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, two veterans who have been solid since the All-Star break, will get the ball in the NLDS. But who else will the Yankees call upon behind them?
The Yankees can take comfort in the fact that they are spoiled for choice; they could enlist the services of Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman — all of whom could put up solid starts for the team in the postseason. But it's clear that someone is going to be the odd man out, and that odd man out will have to come out of the bullpen.
But for Schmidt, he is more than willing to put his ego aside, as he expressed a desire to contribute to the Yankees' bid for their first World Series title since 2009 in whatever capacity they ask of him.
“We have a talented pitching staff. Top to bottom, in our bullpen, in our rotation, that's been our strength for years. Just to be able to be on the roster and be able to wear this uniform in the playoffs is an honor to me. Whatever the role is, however I can help them win, whether it's me or somebody else, when the postseason comes around, I think it's all hands on deck. Whatever you need from each individual, we'll all be ready,” Schmidt said, per SNY Yankees on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Just to be able to be on the roster and be able to wear this uniform in the playoffs is an honor to me."
Clarke Schmidt was asked if he would easily accept a bullpen role in the playoffs: pic.twitter.com/5vP41L5Hj8
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 25, 2024
Clarke Schmidt had himself a solid outing for the Yankees despite their 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. He allowed just three earned runs in 5.1 innings of work; he continued his run of not allowing more than three earned runs in any start this season. His ERA this season is at an impressive 2.55 across 81.1 innings of work, which is nothing to scoff at.
But the Yankees may end up preferring to give starts to a playoff-tested veteran, and Schmidt does not have a postseason start yet under his belt. Whatever the case ends up being, Schmidt will be ready when called upon, which is going to endear him even further to the team's raucous fanbase.
Clarke Schmidt is the ultimate roll of the dice for the Yankees
With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon looking like locks for the Yankees' playoff rotation, Aaron Boone will have to name two other starters as members of the postseason rotation. Nestor Cortes might be the favorite for the third spot. Cortes has had a few stinkers since the All-Star break, but over the past two calendar months, he has put up an ERA of 2.62 in 44 innings of work.
Cortes, however, is a risk-reward play. When he's not on point, he's usually a risk to allow five or six earned runs, putting the Yankees at a disadvantage. But his postseason experience should come in handy, even though his last playoff game came in a season-ending defeat in the ALCS.
Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt should be battling for the fourth spot. Gil's stuff might play better from the bullpen than Schmidt's; Schmidt was not very good out of the pen in 2022, and it might not be the best idea to utilize him in that role. Nonetheless, only time will tell who Boone decides to go with.
