Yankees Lose Trade Leverage with Cubs After the Montgomery Deal

While the Yankees insist Kyle Schwarber be included in any Andrew Miller swap, the Cubs went out and acquired lefty reliever Mike Montgomery. Should Yankees fans start kissing the daydreams of Schwarber in pinstripes good-bye?

The teams who have the most leverage tend to do the best each year at the trade deadline. The Yankees have pieces, like Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, that could dictate the market and fetch system-altering returns.

General manager Brian Cashman has been drooling over Kyle Schwarber in trade talks, but the Cubs remain steadfast in retaining him. The high-impact slugger is under team control through the 2021 season, while Miller — even though he would make the Cubs a World Series favorite — is signed through ’18 at $9M per year.

Schwarber had a solid .842 OPS and swatted 16 home runs in his rookie campaign last season. Sixteen homers in 232 at-bats is an exciting total, and according to Jeff Passan it has Cashman raving about Schwarber’s potential in New York.

“Cash thinks he can hit 50 home runs there,” the source told Passan, the word “there” referring to Yankee Stadium.

Major League Baseball has only seen two 50+ homer hitters in the last eight years, Chris Davis (53 in ’13) and Jose Bautista (54 in ’10). Schwarber has 30+ home run potential in any ballpark, but the left-handed hitter could dramatically spike his numbers in front of Yankee Stadium’s short porch.

However, while Yankee Universe has obsessed with these thoughts, the Cubs grew impatient with their bullpen and added southpaw Mike Montgomery in a four-player deal.

Ken Rosenthal believes Montgomery won’t be a piece that satisfies the Cubs from pursuing a high-impact reliever like Miller or Chapman. In the grand scheme of things, they essentially brought in a 27-year-old middle-innings pitcher. Montgomery has a 2.34 ERA and 7.9 K/9 in 61.2 innings. Respectable numbers, sure, but a far cry from Miller’s 1.31 ERA and 15.2 K/9 as New York’s setup man.

More from Yanks Go Yard

• Never forget Miguel Andújar wrecked Yankees’ Nolan Arenado trade
• Early prices for Yankees 2022 Bowman Draft cards are absurd
• Surprising stat could breed Yankees-Reds deal at 2023 trade deadline
• Is anybody going to sign Aroldis Chapman away from Yankees?
• Diamondbacks outfielder’s comment on Carlos Rodón’s IG raises eyebrows

What this does for the Cubs, however, is give them greater authority at the negotiation table. Instead of Cashman being able to dangle his reliever duo and say, “You need them,” the Cubs can counter with a friendly reminder that they have Montgomery to pair with closer Hector Rondon.

The Montgomery deal doesn’t prevent the Yankees and Cubbies from being trade partners, but it likely drove the final nail in an already-closed coffin of Schwarber rumors.

The Cubs have a talented system, so the absence of Schwarber in trade talks shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. By holding firm to his asking price, Cashman can tactically increase opposing teams’ offers. But persist too long and other teams will start to move on, and missing out is the worst possible scenario for a selling Yankees organization.

Next: 'Selling' Yankees Could Save Ratings with Their Youth

The Bombers have won four straight, starting the streak in the Red Sox series finale and taking the first three of a four-game set from the division-leading Orioles. A 48-46 record isn’t a clear indicator that Yankees ownership will sell the team. But should they regress around .500 near the Aug. 1 trade deadline, look for systems like the Cubs, Nationals, Rangers, or Indians to provide the New York Yankees with a brighter future.