Heading into the Winter Zoom Meetings, the Yankees are gaslighting their fans about pitching

Now and then, The Thinking Fan must step away from the stable and size up the livestock, compared to the competition. And for now, the 2021 AL East looks like a disaster. 

Tampa remains the apex predator, Toronto is rising fast, the Redsocks are far superior to last year's orchestrated tank, and Baltimore - well - thank you, Lord, for a touchstone. 

The Yankee roster overflows in the OF, treads water behind the plate and - even without DJ LeMahieu - would look stocked at three of four IF slots. That's not nothing.   

Ah, but then there is the staff, which today is Gerrit Cole and a conga line of Scrantonians. As the Yankees surf fantastical, sportswriter-enhanced rumors about Kyle Schwarber and Francisco Lindor, let us acknowledge The Abyss. 

This is the Yankee rotation:

Cole (ERA last year, 2.84)
Jordan Montgomery (5.11)
Deivi Garcia (4.98)
Clarke Schmidt (7.71)
Michael King (7.76)
Jonathan Loaisiga (ERA 3.52)
Domingo German (suspended)
Luis Severino (surgery, back in May-June)  

Disregard Cole, and the remaining seven last year notched 133 innings, together. There are no baseline projections for Garcia, Schmidt, King and Loaisiga; they remain complete mysteries. German and Severino will be returning from wipeout seasons. There is not one solid starter. And if we re-sign Masahiro Tanaka - 32 next year - do we know what we're getting?

Then there is the bullpen, which around this time last December was being hailed as a collection of Olympians. Here it is:

Aroldis Chapman (ERA 3.09)
Zack Brittan (1.89)
Chad Green (3.51)
Luis Cessa (3.32)
Adam Ottavino (5.89)
Nick Nelson (4.79)
Ben Heller (3.00)

Certainly, in terms of analyzing players, the 2021 short sample is foolishness. But Yankee fans should worry about the age of these conquistadores. Of our Big Five, only Cessa - (isn't it time to call the cards on him?) is under 30. Ottavino next year will be 35. Ouch. Chapman and Britton will be 33. 

Ah... El Chapo... a walking PTSD exhibit. Will we ever believe in him again? Here's a question to ponder: 

How many regular season saves did he notch last year? 

The answer: Three. 

I'm not making this up. Three. (He blew two save attempts.)

Thus far, this winter, the Yankees have gaslighted their fan base with talk of incomprehensible acquisitions - the very expensive Lindor and the oafish Schwarber. It's fun to imagine batting orders, because you only think of how much damage they will inflict. But without an influx of pitching, this team finishes fourth in the AL East - thank you, Lord, for Baltimore.