While it is still early in the season, there are a few players out there that the Yankees could possibly make a trade for later on to help improve the club.
The Yankees are facing depletion on a serious level. The once “crowded” outfield has thinned out tremendously. Billy McKinney is the latest man to fall victim to the outfield injury plague that had already claimed Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Clint Frazier.
However, most of the injuries the outfielders have suffered don’t seem to be the season-ending type of injuries. Now the main question that was asked during the offseason after the Giancarlo Stanton acquisition was, “What about the starting rotation?”.
The Yankees have arguably the best bullpen in baseball, they will have a prolific offense so the only real area of addition would be the starting rotation.
The Yankees rotation in 2017 was quietly very good. They finished second to the Cleveland Indians in starting rotation combined WAR (Wins Above Replacement). The Yankees have entered this season with the same rotation that took them to within one game of the World Series.
But while in some ways that can benefit the 2018 rotation, in other ways it is a hindrance. Sevy and Monty pitched more innings than expected and any residual effects will usually manifest that next season. Tanaka still has the slight tear in his UCL so that’s just a matter of time before he needs Tommy John Surgery. Sabathia is another year older and has been pitching on injured knees.
So, let’s take a look at some starting pitchers that may be available throughout the course of the season leading to the July 31 trade deadline.
Potential Starting Pitcher Targets
- Chris Archer– Tampa Bay Rays
- Marco Estrada– Toronto Blue Jays
- Michael Fulmer– Detroit Tigers
- Danny Duffy– Kansas City Royals
- Matt Moore– Texas Rangers
- Madison Bumgarner– San Francisco Giants
Sometimes the starting pitching market can be overly expensive due to the constant demand for starting pitchers. However, the need to bolster the team may still be needed. So turning to the relief market can sometimes make for easier acquisitions.
Relief Pitchers:
The Yankees have the potential to withstand their current injuries with the depth they have from their farm system. But if the Yankees need to upgrade their pitching staff these pitchers could be potential targets of the Yankees.
The lineup is stacked and there are not many openings once the crew of guys currently on the DL gets healthy. But there’s always room for franchise-changing players. The only franchise-altering player that may be available at or before the trade deadline is Manny Machado.
Manny is more than likely going to be traded at the deadline but whether or not the price will be in the realm of possibility remains to be seen.
These players are more than likely that ones that will be rumored to be available. I, however, want to pose a wildcard option for a potential trade target. Something so outlandish that if it happens it sets the world ablaze.
If (and this is all speculation) the San Francisco Giants fall out if contention and Madison Bumgarner comes back and shows that he’s healthy, he would be an incredible pickup.
The Yankees have the farm system to be able to acquire an ace like Madison Bumgarner. An addition of this caliber would surely make the Yankees even more World Series favorites than they already are.