As the dog days of Summer are approaching it’s time to look at the New York Yankees starting pitching trade options. The Yankees have had more than their share of injuries. Offensively the Yankees are close to getting their two biggest bats back. However, there are still injury issues with the Yankees pitching staff. After missing out on Dallas Keuchel, there are several ways that the Yankees can pivot to bolster their rotation.
Yankees Injuries
Team ace Luis Severino has not thrown one pitch this season and the earliest return date is mid-July. Domingo German, who provided a huge lift early on this season is now on the injured list. A key bullpen piece in Dellin Betances also has not pitched this season and is scheduled for a mid-July return at the earliest.
In addition, CC Sabathia has been on the injured list twice this year. Sabathia, who is playing in his final season, is a good bet to visit the injured list again at some point this season. James Paxton, despite his solid career numbers is also injury prone. Paxton has already been on the injured list this season and has never topped 160 innings pitched in any given season. All in all, the injury bug has bitten all pitching, but specifically the Yankees starting pitching.
Trade Options
Madison Bumgarner
When talking about potential trade targets, Madison Bumgarner‘s name is on the top of every team’s wish list. Bumgarner is a bonafide ace who has a career ERA of 3.07. That alone is enough of a reason to trade for him. But his career playoff ERA is one full run lower at 2.11. Bumgarner was the horse of three San Francisco Giants world series champion teams.
No one will soon forget his performance in the 2014 World Series against the Kansas City Royals when he pitched 21 innings to a microscopic 0.43 ERA. Bumgarner does have a no-trade list which includes the Yankees but there are always ways to resolve that. Bumgarner is also in the last year of his contract making him a rental and lowering the price tag for a potential trade partner.
Marcus Stroman & Aaron Sanchez
Last season the Yankees traded for J.A. Happ who played on the division rival Toronto Blue Jays. So there is no reason why these teams can’t get together on a deal this season. Both Stroman and Sanchez are rumored to be available and won’t have the hefty price tag Bumgarner has. Stroman has a career ERA of 3.85 and Sanchez’s career ERA is 3.55. Both have playoff experience too with Sanchez having the better numbers. If the Yankees are not looking for a high impact move then we could see one of these players get moved to the Yankees.
Max Scherzer
Scherzer is regarded as one of, if not, the best starting pitcher in all of baseball. His accolades are well known. Scherzer has a career ERA of 3.20 and averages over 200 innings pitched a year. Scherzer is durable and is a stud. He has won the Cy Young award in both leagues and three times overall. The Washington Nationals are having a bad season and could decide to eventually hit the reset button. No one has run away in the National League East so the Nationals are only seven games out of first place.
The biggest issue in a trade for Scherzer is that he is under contract until after the 2021 season. So this is not a rental trade. The haul to trade for Scherzer would be enormous. But his track record suggests it would be worth it. Scherzer is the type of pitcher that can win you the world series with.
Noah Syndergaard & Zack Wheeler
The Yankees and their cross-town rival New York Mets very rarely do business together. That being said, both last year and during the offseason, there were rumors of trade talks between the teams.
The Mets are only five games out of first place in the NL East. If the Mets see their season slip away they could be sellers. Wheeler is a free agent at the end of this season which makes him a prime piece to move for the Mets.
The Yankees could probably get Wheeler for one good major league player or two good prospects. Syndergaard is under contract through the 2021 season and the price tag on him would be high. The issue with Syndergaard is his inconsistencies that show he has not put everything together as a pitcher. This becomes a cause for concern to warrant trading high-end assets.
Other Potential Trade Targets
The one intriguing team to watch is the Cleveland Indians. The Minnesota Twins jumped out to a ten-and-a-half game lead in the AL Central. While the Indians have not given up on winning the division, they are still very much in the thick of the wild-card race. It’s too early to say the Indians will trade ace pitchers Corey Kluber (who has been sidelined with a broken arm) or Trevor Bauer, but if the Indians have another bad stretch of baseball, they could decide to replenish their farm system by moving Kluber or Bauer.
There could also be some surprise names available at the trading deadline. The Yankees have always been very aggressive in trying to win the world series. So it’s a good bet the Yankees starting pitching will be addressed before the July trade deadline. It is just unknown who it will be.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
