Yankees Top Five Priorities at the Trade Deadline

3. Add One or More Controllable Starting Pitchers

For the past year, one of GM Brian Cashman’s stated top priorities has been acquiring controllable starting pitching depth. Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi, and Michael Pineda all have deals that expire after 2017 (assuming Tanaka exercises his opt-out clause).

Cashman acquired Luis Cessa and Chad Green this winter, but given the club’s lack of pitching talent in the upper-minors, it seems like this is something he still needs to address, either now or this winter.

Drew Pomeranz was probably the best available fit for the Yankees’ short and long term needs. Given the Padres’ interest in Jorge Mateo at last year’s trade deadline, he might have made a nice centerpiece in that deal.

New York is unlikely to be interested in rentals like Oakland’s Rich Hill. They’ve been heavily linked recently to Washington’s Reynaldo Lopez. The Nationals have a number of potential front of the rotation arms including Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole that could be attractive targets.

The Nationals seem like the frontrunner for Aroldis Chapman at this point. If New York throws in Brett Gardner and another piece, could that be enough to get Giolito?

Tampa Bay has also been shopping the majority of their rotation. The Yankees were specifically connected to Matt Moore at one point. Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer also appear to be on the table. It’s hard to imagine a blockbuster like that happening within the division, however.

For a team in last place in their division, the Angels have been strangely quiet about selling their veterans. They had a trio of controllable starters to offer the Yankees before it was announced that Nick Tropeano would need TJ surgery (dodged a bullet there!). Matt Shoemaker for Brett Gardner still seems like a nice deal for both sides, although Shoemaker has pitched like an ace the last two months, so the Yankees would probably need to toss in a bit more at this point.

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