With Marcus Stroman in Queens, the available starting pitchers are suddenly few for the New York Yankees. Today, ESNY breaks it down.
It is very clear what the New York Yankees are in need of at the trade deadline.
Starting pitching.
The last turn through the rotation made that even more clear than ever. Yankees starters allowed a combined 36 earned runs during the last full cycle through the rotation. With Marcus Stroman traded to their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, where do the Yankees go from here?
Trevor Bauer
One of the top names on the market as far as starting pitching goes has been Trevor Bauer, stemming all the way back to the winter. Bauer could be a strong acquisition for the Yankees, as he is a clear upgrade from any starting pitcher in the rotation right now, along with his postseason experience. Bauer currently sports a 3.79 ERA.
Obviously, a lot of concern surrounds Bauer’s actions both on and off the field from fighting with fans on Twitter, to cutting his finger on a drone, to throwing the ball over the center-field fence on Sunday, he definitely has his flaws.
***Editor’s note: Trevor Bauer has been traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
Noah Syndergaard
Noah Syndergaard is a pretty similar story as Bauer in a way. Syndergaard takes to Twitter quite often and has a pretty large ego. However, Syndergaard is a very good pitcher and carries playoff and World Series experience with him.
As much as a Syndergaard addition would immediately make the Yankees better, a Yankees-Mets trade of this magnitude still seems extremely unlikely.
Matt Boyd
Boyd is an interesting candidate. He has put together quite the season in Detroit on a terrible Tigers team. Boyd is a player who possesses some of the best-advanced metrics in baseball, which is exactly what an analytically driven team like the Yankees is looking for.
Boyd is 28 years old and still has three more years of team control. Currently, the asking price set by the Tigers begins with Gleyber Torres, a two-time All-Star at the age of 22.
The only way a Matt Boyd to the Yankees trade will happen is if they substantially lower their asking price.
Robbie Ray
Robbie Ray is an intriguing piece. He is the type of pitcher that I could see ending up in Houston and dominating baseball in the way Gerrit Cole has done.
His strikeout numbers are insane, as he has some of the best swing and miss stuff in the game. One major concern with Ray is his BB rate. Though he punches a lot of hitters out, he also walks his fair share.
He is another starter that may not be able to provide the length, quite similar to the current starters the Yankees have.
With trading for any player, the Yankees are going to have to part with some of their young talents. Whether it be top prospects like Deivi Garcia, Estevan Florial, Clint Frazier, or players such as Ryan McBroom, Mike Ford, etc., the Yankees have to give in order to get.
The one thing for sure, though, is that Gleyber Torres better not be on the table.
In addition to acquiring players via trade, the Yankees also have two very important pieces making their way back to the Bronx. Dellin Betances and Luis Severino are progressing smoothly in their rehabs and could potentially be players for the Yankees by the end of the season, and for the postseason.
Hopefully, Severino could be a starter come playoff time, but I also would not hate the idea of using Chad Green as an opener and letting Severino follow him to get six or seven innings.
Considering how good this year’s Yankees team is, they cannot afford to sit back and watch everyone else get better at the trade deadline. They need to improve the lone weakness this team has and get some pitching.
The New York Yankees have not won the World Series since 2009. Ten years on the dot. Twenty-nineteen has to be the year the Yankees get back on top and win number 28. I will not be confident in them winning it all without landing another starting pitcher.
