New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner recently spoke to the press, and while most of the focus has been centered on his remarks regarding whether or not the Yankees turn a profit, Steinbrenner dropped another little comment that should have Yankees fans concerned.

It was about the pitching staff.

When discussing what needs New York would be addressing during the offseason, Steinbrenner kind of brushed off the idea of bolstering the starting rotation.

"I really love our starting rotation next year," Steinbrenner said. "We’ve got to get through April and get [Gerrit] Cole back and [Carlos] Rodon back, but it’s going to be an incredible rotation if everybody comes back as planned. And I think we’re pretty good on the infield as well, but we’re going to look at all options, like we always do.”

In other words, the Yankees aren't going to go out of their way to acquire another starter.

Now, Steinbrenner qualifying his statement by saying that New Yor would "look at all options" could mean he is playing it coy. Remember: general manager Brian Cashman himself said that adding a starting pitcher would be a priority. But perhaps it's not in the way Yanks fans are hoping.

That could mean adding another pitcher in the vein of Carlos Carrasco, an older, clearly-past-his-prime veteran who will only serve as a stopgap in the case of injuries or double-headers.

But considering that Cole is 35 years old coming off Tommy John surgery and Max Fried clearly hasn't escaped his playoff demons, it would strongly behoove the Bronx Bombers to add another top-of-the-line arm to their rotation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won back-to-back championships and don't appear to be going anywhere. The Toronto Blue Jays just won the AL East, beat the Yankees in the playoffs and came within two outs of beating the Dodgers in the World Series. The Boston Red Sox should be better next season. The Seattle Mariners will be really good, as well.

There is absolutely no reason for New York to take it easy this winter. Re-signing Cody Bellinger and calling it a day doesn't move the needle. Yes, getting Cole back should help, but again, we don't know what to expect from him given that he hasn't pitched a full season since 2023.

With names like Sandy Alcantara, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez and possibly even Tarik Skubal available for trade, the idea of the Yankees simply being comfortable with what they have is beyond frustrating.

What's even more maddening is that New York absolutely has the goods to make a trade for a frontline starter. Steinbrenner just doesn't seem to feel that it's needed.

The Yankees currently have Cole, Fried, Rodon, Cam Schlittler as their top four, and Luis Gil and Will Warren will be vying for the fifth and final slot in the rotation. That's a good unit for sure. But if you can add another top arm and remove Gil and Warren from the equation, it would likely give New York the best pitching staff in all of baseball.