Yankees will add two of these relief pitchers before the All-Star Game

Death, Taxes, and the Trading of Drew Storen

Drew Storen will be traded. He’s making $3,000,000 and will be a FA at the end of the year. His ERA is 2.78, and he has only given up 28 hits and 13 walks in his 32 innings: That adds up to a WHIP of 1.27. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds are 33-44 and last in the NL Central.

Here is another salary dump but with better upside and more experience than Nicasio. The Reds have no reason to keep him and every reason to move him well before the trade deadline. My guess is the two teams have already spoken about a trade for Drew.

That is less likely to be true for Raisel Iglasias, but I hope it is. I’m just not sure what it would take to get him. If you have not heard of Raisel, it’s not for lack of success. He signed a seven-year deal with the Reds back in 2014, essentially buying out his arbitration years early. The total value is $27,000,000 and runs through 2020.

And like many great relievers, Iglasias is a converted starter. That seems like a good decision as he currently has a 1.64 ERA to go with his 14 saves. He would be a steep price in prospects. I can’t help but wonder how the Reds view Mateo.

On Ice is Automatically Worse

There are plenty of reasons for the Reds to keep Raisel, but one big one that leaves them open to trading him: their pitching stinks on ice. For all their pitchers who have started at least one game in 2017, there are more with ERA’s in the sevens (4)–which includes two of their four pitchers with the most starts–than having ERA’s in the threes (1).

And I can’t even bring myself to write one-time promising prospect Homer Bailey’s 2017 line. It feels like calling someone the androgynous B-word. You’ll just have to follow the link. I’ll give you a second.

Unbelievable, right? Making matters worse is that there is no pitching in the pipeline, making their 13th ranked farm not so promising. They need to turn this one great pitcher into three good pitchers, and one of them a starter.

The Yankees could do that, and it might even make financial sense. If the Reds want to move him now, and if the Yankees want to give up the prospects, and if the bullpen completely collapses. A lot of if’s but Raisel is worth hoping on. Brad Brach from Baltimore, however, seems more than just a hope with every passing day.