Since the arrival of the Baby Bombers in 2017, the Yankees desperately lacked an ace starter. Luis Severino finished third in the Cy Young voting that year, but he ran out of gas in the postseason, and the wheels fell off in the second half of 2018. Sonny Gray never materialized as the frontline starter in New York, and while James Paxton has flashed brilliance, he has struggled with health and consistency.
The Yankees have been one ace shy of greatness. Not just any ace, either. A super-ace. The kind of pitcher who can go head-to-head with Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer or Jacob deGrom.