It’s unclear when a deal might get done, but the New York Yankees appear to be honing in on former Cy Young winner, Dallas Keuchel.
Adding a starting pitcher midseason via the trade market has become the norm for the New York Yankees. It was J.A. Happ in 2018 and Sonny Gray in 2017. In 2019, however, New York is heavily pursuing Dallas Keuchel on the free agent market.
Now that there is no draft compensation attached to Keuchel, contending teams will certainly look to acquire the crafty lefty.
According to a source, the Yankees and Braves are the favorites to sign Dallas Keuchel. Both teams are believed to be in the same area with their offers at the moment.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) June 4, 2019
A second source believes the Yankees are going to land Dallas Keuchel, and that they are emerging as the true favorites for the former Cy Young winner.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) June 4, 2019
Signing Keuchel makes perfect sense for the Yankees. Although the starting rotation has been excellent so far this season, another top-notch arm on a one-year deal can’t hurt.
Keuchel isn’t the same pitcher he was when he won the Cy Young in 2015. Since that point, he’s been up and down posting a 4.55, 2.90, and 3.74 in 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively. He’s still a reliable front-end starter with postseason experience, but don’t expect Keuchel to be the dominant ace he was when he blanked the Yanks in the 2015 Wild Card Game.
For Keuchel, signing with the Yankees on a short-term deal isn’t the worst-case scenario. New York gives him an opportunity to pitch on the big stage and showcase his talents for the upcoming offseason.
He might be on the wrong side of 30, but a strong showing in the Bronx could entice a team to offer a multi-year deal to Keuchel.
With all this said, nothing is set in stone until Keuchel signs on the dotted line. Although the Yankees may appear to be the “true favorites” right now, anything can happen.
