Analysis

Why the Yankees Need to Go After This Starter

There has been an ongoing issue with J.A. Happ leaving the baseball up in the zone, making it easy to hit homeruns as the hitter. If Happ no longer has it due to age, or injury, etc, the Yankees must find a starting pitcher good enough to hold down the back of the rotation. Many rumors have surrounded Madison Bumgarner and Marcus Stroman; however, I don’t believe this is the answer. 

With the Rangers most likely being buyers rather than sellers at the deadline, we can assume Mike Minor will not be available on the open market. In my eyes, this was the best pitcher for the Yankees to go after, given that he keeps the ball in the yard and would come at a relatively cheap price. However, there is someone similar to Minor who plays for the Detroit Tigers, who are in complete rebuild mode, trying to get the most value out of there veteran talent as they can. The pitcher’s name is Matthew Boyd.

Boyd in 2019 has posted a 3.37 FIP, with a 1.11 WHIP, a 11.22 k/9, and a 3.35 SIERA, all above average. This shows that he limits base runners, creates soft contact, and he strikes out several batters. This is a great combination for any pitchers, especially given that he would be pitching in a very hitter friendly in Yankee Stadium.

Ideally for the Yankees, the trade would look like this:

Yankees Acquire: Matthew Boyd and Jeimier Candelario

Tigers Acquire: Mike Ford, Tanner Myatt, and Johnathan Holder

This would allow to the Yankees to give up a small bit from there plethora of assets for a good pitcher who can help them on the chase for 28.

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