The Yankees’ rotation is looking sharp.
Led by American League Cy Young Award finalist Cam Schlittler, New York’s starters finished the 2026 regular season with an MLB-best 3.30 ERA, the lowest mark by any team since the Dodgers (2.75) and Astros (2.95) back in 2022. Few Yankees squads in recent memory have done better: That 3.30 starters’ ERA was the sixth best by any Yanks team in the divisional era (since 1969) and the best since 1981 (3.16).
Clearly, 2026 was a smashing success for the club’s rotation ... but can it get even better? Given the current health, talent and depth of the Yankees’ starters, there’s an argument to be made that New York’s rotation could -- just maybe -- reach new heights in 2027.
While injuries are always a factor -- three of the five players featured below missed significant time in 2026 -- and there’s no telling what offseason moves the club might make, here’s a look at the Yankees’ current rotation and what might need to happen to set the stage for a top-flight ’27 campaign.
RHP Cam Schlittler
2026 stats: 1.95 ERA, 193 2/3 IP, 239 K
Key stat: Lowest ERA by qualified Yankees starter since Ron Guidry (1.74) in 1978
What needs to go right in 2027: Schlittler might not quite repeat what was one of the finest pitching seasons in franchise history, but if he’s able to reprise his role as a frontline starter (think sub-3 ERA and somewhere around 200 K’s), that will be more than good enough.
LHP Max Fried
2026 stats: 2.80 ERA, 112 2/3 IP, 104 K
Key stat: 2.51 expected ERA in 2026, career best
What needs to go right in 2027: While hampered by a bone bruise in his pitching elbow, Fried was excellent in 2026, allowing very little hard contact and posting the best barrel rate of his career (2.4%). Since he’s never racked up massive strikeout numbers, Fried will have to keep deceiving hitters and missing barrels as he enters his age-33 season.
RHP Gerrit Cole
2026 stats: 3.61 ERA, 127 IP, 131 K
Key stat: 4.8% walk rate in 2026, career best
What needs to go right in 2027: Cole didn’t miss much of a beat in his return from Tommy John surgery, which cost him all of 2025 and nearly two months of 2026. The elder statesman of the Yankees’ rotation as he heads into his age-36 season, Cole will need to maintain velocity on his fastball -- something he did well at in ’26 (96.7 mph, in the 84th percentile of MLB pitchers).
LHP Carlos Rodón
2026 stats: 2.67 ERA, 84 1/3 IP, 91 K
Key stat: 26.8% strikeout rate in 2026, highest since 2022
What needs to go right in 2027: Rodón was held to just 16 starts in 2026 by left elbow issues but turned in his lowest ERA and best K rate since his lone season with the Giants in 2022. But his 11.2% walk rate was his highest since his rookie season in 2015, so Rodón will have to cut down on the free passes in ’27.
RHP Will Warren
2026 stats: 3.92 ERA, 156 IP, 158 K
Key stat: .172 batting average (15-for-87) allowed on changeups in 2026
What needs to go right in 2027: Warren likely has a leg up on Clarke Schmidt for the Yankees’ fifth starter spot. After lowering his ERA by more than half a point from 2025 (when he had a 4.44 ERA and finished eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting), Warren must maintain his above-average strikeout rate while limiting the hard contact that has hurt him at times.