Yankees Should Pursue Mike Leake

                It is obvious that the Yankees are seriously in need of starting pitching depth. But they don't need to pay top dollar for a top of the rotation arm and deplete the farm system. They need a starter that can solidify the back end of the rotation and will come at a lower price. The Yankees farm system is getting stronger however it doesn't have much depth to it. So if the Yankees were to pursue a player like Johnny Cueto or Cole Hamels they would have to give up a lot of their top prospects. Mike Leake however, would come at the perfect price and provide the quality starters the Yankees are lacking at the back-end of the rotation.

                Mike Leake would be an amazing pickup for the Yankees should they be able to snag him from the Reds. Leake could fit very well in Yankee Stadium being his his high ground ball rate at 52.2% which is exactly what is looked for in the Yankee rotation. However Leake is having a bit of a down year with a decent 4.38 ERA over 100.2 innings pitched. There is a bright side to this however because Leake pitches in one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in baseball. Now even though Yankee Stadium is hitter friendly with the short porch in right field, but it is not nearly as bad as Great American Ballpark. Leake has pitched very poorly at his home stadium showing a very weak 6.11 ERA compared to the 2.95 ERA Leake has away. Leake's biggest pro is that he is a workhorse, and has put up more than 175 IP over the previous 2 years.

                 Mike Leake is exactly what the Yankees need right now, a workhorse who can solidify the back-end of the rotation at a low cost.