Mike Tauchman is the latest Yankees positional find, a small pickup who is thriving and hinting at a much higher ceiling than initially perceived.

He joins Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Gio Urshela and Luke Voit to deepen the lineup and bench. The Yankees have had similar success whether going big-game hunting with Aroldis Chapman or small with Chad Green in annually unfurling a dynamic bullpen.

But in a period during which the Yankees appear to be on a run of sustained success, what threatens to linger is the inability to find the same level of consistent success with their rotation. This is being underscored now as the Yankees endure perhaps the worst week of starting pitching in their history while they simultaneously are trying to find help in that area in a seller’s market.

There have obviously been successes. The patience with a small addition, Domingo German, is being rewarded this year. Masahiro Tanaka has not been an ace, but the Yankees’ $175 million investment has mostly been honored. Last season, J.A. Happ was perhaps the best midseason starting pitching acquisition of Brian Cashman’s tenure as general manager. And the Yankees did develop an ace-level starter in Luis Severino, whose absence this season they were overcoming until recently.

The past five years, though, have been a period in which the Yankees have been in play for a series of top starters who, for a variety of reasons, slipped away.

They felt they were not yet fully formed as contenders after the 2014 season to invest in Max Scherzer, and the same was true following 2015, when Chris Sale was available in a trade.

Justin Verlander was not traded for in July 2017, nor did any team put in a waiver claim for him in August. When the Astros acquired him in literally the last seconds before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline, it was out of desperation as much as inspiration. It signifies that more than the Yankees missed Verlander’s coming renaissance. The Yankees, however, did not gamble on Verlander to some degree because they were focused on going under the $197 million luxury tax in 2018.

But after the 2017 campaign, they obtained Giancarlo Stanton, who cost $22 million toward the tax (albeit they also got rid of Starlin Castro’s $8.6 million hit). With what the Tigers paid down to facilitate moving Verlander to Houston, he cost $20 million toward the tax. Verlander proved the biggest difference-maker in the Astros beating the Yankees in the 2017 ALCS en route to their first title.

Houston also won out following the championship by landing Gerrit Cole. The Yankees, to this day, believe their package built around Clint Frazier and Nick Solak was better than what the Pirates received from the Astros. But Pittsburgh wanted Miguel Andujar and the Yankees would not relent. That Verlander was reborn in Houston, Cole has pitched his best and Charlie Morton elevated his game there also indicates the Astros are winning a starting pitching arms race with the Yankees, when such a victory could decide AL championship(s). Wade Miley also is enjoying his best season for the Astros after signing a one-year, $4.5 million free agent pact.

The Yankees went into the offseason with Patrick Corbin as their top free agent target — and Corbin grew up a Yankees fan. But their valuation was to not go beyond four years, and Corbin subsequently signed for six at $130 million with the Nationals, for whom he is excelling. The Yankees would argue that their discipline in decision-making has served them well overall, in part because, as opposed to George Steinbrenner’s heyday, opposing teams in trades and representatives in free agency talks know the Yankees have a line in the sand they will not cross.

That has created a perception, particularly among a vocal segment of the fan base, that Hal Steinbrenner is frugal, an impression particularly pushed as the Yankees essentially sat out the free agencies of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. But the Yankees did not need positional help. They did need rotation assistance. So Corbin was the player to step out into the discomfort zone for.

Instead, the Yankees re-signed Happ, who has been as disappointing in his return as he was distinguished last year. They also traded for James Paxton, who is beginning to take on the good stuff/bad result hue of Javier Vazquez.

Twelve pitchers acquired in the offseason through free agency or trade have a better Wins Above Replacement (Baseball Reference) than Happ (0.5) and 16 have been better than Paxton (0.3). That includes Morton (who signed with the Rays in December), Corbin and Miley. There also is a duo who are a combined 18-12 with a 3.60 ERA — former Yankees Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn. Another former Yankee, Caleb Smith (3.30 ERA) is doing well with the Marlins and the Yankees have yet to see benefit from his November 2017 trade.

The list did not include Dallas Keuchel, who also has a higher WAR than Happ or Paxton despite not signing until June 7 and making his first start until June 21 (he has a 3.00 ERA in five July starts). The Yankees would not approach the $13 million bid by the Braves and — as with Corbin — refusing to just spend money could prove wrong-headed at a time when their system is down from past years to make trades and the prices are high in a seller’s market.