Yankees to try and make a deal for Jake Odorizzi?

It seems the Yankees have been linked to just about every trade candidate on the starting pitching market this offseason, and that trend continued this past week.

It was reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic Wednesday afternoon that the Yankees have “checked in at various points” on RHP Jake Odorizzi.

I, for one, am of the mindset that the Yanks shouldn’t exhaust themselves looking for another starter. Jordan Montgomery is undoubtedly a more than capable arm to slot in at the 5th spot in the rotation.

However, the Yankees are just one injury away from Luis Cessa pitching every five days. Is general manager Brian Cashman comfortable with that? Can’t blame him if he isn’t.

Ergo, adding another reliable starter isn’t such a bad idea after all. With the addition of Odorizzi, that would likely push Monty into a swingman, giving the Yankees much more depth.

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Odorizzi is coming off a decent 2017 campaign, posting a 4.14 ERA and a .220 BAA in 28 games for the Rays, while striking out 127 batters in 143.1 innings pitched.

He also gave up 30 long balls, which can easily scare away a surplus of Yankee fans, and rightfully so.

However, the former first-round draft pick does have substantial career numbers to ease the fear.

Odorizzi posted back-to-back sub 4.00 ERA seasons in 2015 and 2016 with WHIPs below 1.20. And he did post a reassuring 1.72 ERA in his final six starts of 2017. With that said, the 27-year-old may certainly be an excellent addition as the Yankees’ 5th starter.

Regarding what it would take to acquire Odorizzi is another question

He’s projected to make around $6.5 million in 2018, which fits into the Yankees’ rumored $15 million left to spend this offseason. Since Odorizzi falls under the category of being a “young, controllable starter” who isn’t a free agent until 2020, the Rays could easily fetch a mid-level prospect or two, but nothing even remotely close to a Gleyber Torres or a Miguel Andujar.

Next: What the Yankees lineup could look like

Personally, I don’t see a deal getting done. However, would I be disappointed to see Odorizzi as the Yanks’ 5th man? Most certainly not.