The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in all of baseball, with a 13-6 record and a +27 Run Differential. They have a loaded lineup that has boasted the best wRC+, wOBA, and SLG in the MLB. They seem to be set on the offensive side of the ball, but the pitching is a different story. The Yankees are 17th in starting pitching ERA and 10th in starting pitching SIERA. Even the touted bullpen is only 9th in ERA and 12th in SIERA. With these needs in mind the New York Yankees need to be aggressive this trade deadline and land some quality pitching.
Landing Frontline Starters
The Yankees have in my opinion three starters that you can build around for this season. Those three are Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton. For people who doubt James Paxton, remember that he has a 2.95 SIERA and 3.52 xFIP, and a .481 BABIP against, so Paxton will get the ball rolling soon. The Yankees do need in my opinion. at least one starter, maybe even two. My targets would be Lance Lynn, Mike Minor, and Kevin Gausman.
Trade For Arms that Can Keep the New York Yankees In Games
The Yankee bullpen hasn’t been atrocious but they have a tendency to bleed runs that either make a blowout close or they make a close game get out of hand. We shouldn’t have to use Chad Green, Adam Ottavino, and Zack Britton in every game in order to close it out. This is why I suggest the Yankees go out and be aggressive for relievers. Keone Kela, Tyler Rogers, Ken Giles, and Ian Kennedy would all be very good fits for the Yankees.
Making a Trade
While I don’t expect the Yankees to make all of these trades, these are simply ideas for trades they could make.
Pirates trade RHP Keone Kela
Yankees trade IF Thairo Estrada and RHP Albert Abreu
Giants trade RHP Kevin Gausman and LHP Tyler Rogers
Yankees trade RHP Jio Orozco, 3B Matt Duffy, and RHP Trevor Stephan
Rangers trade RHP Lance Lynn
Yankees trade 1B/3B/LF Miguel Andujar, LHP Jordan Montgomery, and RHP Michael King
Blue Jays trade RHP Ken Giles
Yankees trade RHP Nick Nelson, RHP Luis Medina, and OF Everson Pereira
The three deals I would prioritize are the Lance Lynn, Kevin Gausman and Tyler Rogers, and Keone Kela deals because Kela will cost less than Giles to resign and is easier to trade for.
Yankees Roster Post-Hypothetical Trades
The Yankees rotation would be set in my opinion as they would now have two starters to round out that rotation. They also now have another left-hander in the bullpen and a nice right-hander with a rocket arm. The new rotation and bullpen would now look like:
| Pitcher | SIERA (2018-2020) | xFIP (2018-2020) |
| Gerrit Cole | 2.78 | 2.82 |
| James Paxton | 3.42 | 3.51 |
| Lance Lynn | 4.02 | 3.91 |
| Masahiro Tanaka | 4.02 | 3.91 |
| Kevin Gausman | 4.15 | 4.08 |
That rotation is… much better than before, and it can definitely help the Yankees win a World Series. The bullpen is where it just gets unfair.
| Pitcher | SIERA | xFIP |
| Keone Kela | 3.28 | 3.68 |
| Tyler Rogers | 2.96 | 3.34 |
These trades would hurt the Yankees’ farm system but they would add three players under the age of 30 which helps them stay young, and two have expiring contracts if you don’t want to retain them. If the New York Yankees play their cards right this trade deadline, they would be ready to win a World Series for the first time since 2009.
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