New York Yankees Should look to Mets for Starting Pitching?

When the Yankees went out and controversially acquired Reds closer Aroldis Chapman the talk amongst the town was how dominant the trio of Chapman, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller might be in 2016.

However, we all overlooked the fact that the Yankees have yet to add the controllable young starting pitcher that they so desperately need – and if any trade chip can give the Yankees just that it’s probably Andrew Miller.

Obviously finding a trade that makes sense for two teams is the hard part. Not only is it a risk in and of itself to part ways with proven talent like Andrew Miller, but young starting pitching comes at a premium throughout the MLB, and teams aren’t very keen on dealing young impact pitchers.

Still, John Harper of the New York Daily News believes that the Yankees and Mets can hook up in an Andrew Miller package that would land the Yankees one of the many impact pitchers the Mets currently have under contract.

In Harpers mock trade, the Yankees would deal Andrew Miller and Brett Gardner to the Mets in exchange for Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero and the newly acquired Alejandro De Aza.

For Sandy Alderson and his New York Mets, Andrew Miller would give them a lockdown bullpen of their own if he’s paired with Jeurys Familia. The veteran Brett Gardner would be an interesting addition, as he would likely serve as the teams every-day center fielder and leadoff hitter. The Mets can slot him into their lineup as a table setter for former Yankee Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda. The only thing the Mets would have to worry about is taking on the salaries owed to Miller and Gardner who are both under contract through 2016 and beyond as well as limiting the playing time of Juan Lagares, who’s seen his fair share of struggles in Citi Field as of late.

As for Brian Cashman and our New York Yankees, they would acquire a potential ace in Wheeler who is turning just 26 in May and will remain under team control until at least 2020. The only down side for the Yankees is that Wheeler is coming off tommy john surgery and won’t be available to pitch until at least midway through the 2016 season if all goes according to plan.

But still, adding Wheeler for the long haul is a perfect play by Cashman and his plan to build a younger team to sustain through the future. Fast forward to 2017 and the Yankees rotation can potentially look like this;

Not only is that a pretty dominate rotation , but it will give the Yankees five starters who are 28 years old or younger.

Rafael Montero’s mutual frustration with the New York Mets over an apparent shoulder ‘injury’ has been well documented and it’s probably healthy for both sides to just move on. Montero would give the Yankees some bullpen flexibility and starting rotation insurance at the same time as he has the potential to pitch out of the bullpen or start ball games as a back-end starting pitcher. In a nutshell, Rafael Montero would be a younger versatile replacement for Adam Warren who was dealt from the Yankees to the Cubs in exchange for Starlin Castro during the MLB Winter Meetings.

De Aza would serve as another extra-outfield option for the Yankees, but more importantly his $5.75 MM salary in 2016 would offset the cost of the $23.5 MM owed to Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller next season.

Also, Zack Wheeler is arbitration eligible starting in 2017 and is likely to score a significant raise if he returns to true form. Trading him to the Yankees and getting him off their payroll would further even out the salary the Mets would take on by adding Gardner and Miller.

What do you think Yankee fans? Do we agree with this trade proposal from MLB Columnist John Harper?

Let us know in the comments below.

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