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Top Five Arms Under 25 the Yankees Should Target This Offseason

ByEvan Halpine-Berger|
Sep 26, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea (55) reacts on the mound after giving up a solo home run to Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) in the fourth of the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea (55) reacts on the mound after giving up a solo home run to Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) in the fourth of the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (49) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (49) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Reynaldo Lopez

If the Yankees are on the lookout for young starters this offseason, there is perhaps no MLB club with a deeper pool to choose from than the Washington Nationals. New York scouted the Nats young arms heavily before the trade deadline because Washington was one of the favorites to land either Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller.

Given how those deals worked out for Cleveland and Chicago, the Nationals front office probably wishes they had caved an given up one of their top young arms. While New York no longer has Chapman or Miller to offer, that doesn’t mean the two sides can’t match up on a deal.

Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, A.J. Cole, and Erick Fedde would all hold some appeal for the Yankees, but Lopez was the pitcher they were most frequently linked to at the deadline.

The 22-year-old righty’s results didn’t quite match up with his impressive arsenal in his first taste of the big league this season. Lopez pitched to a 4.91 ERA and 3.92 in 44 IP this year, working as both a starter and reliever. He struck out a solid 20.9% of batters, but did issue free passes to a worrying 11% of opponents in an admittedly small sample size.

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Lopez definitely has front of the rotation stuff, and will not come cheap despite his mixed results this year. What could the Yankees offer the Nationals? Washington has long-standing needs in center field and in the bullpen. Dellin Betances and/or Brett Gardner might be of interest.

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