Yankees: Would they trade Domingo German for an ace?

Domingo German is getting better each time he takes the mound for the Yankees. And on Tuesday night against the surprising Mariners, he was perhaps, at his best.

Following up on his first career victory (in which he racked up 10 Ks), Yankees rookie Domingo German went seven strong innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits, walking none and striking out nine.

Mixing his high 90s fastball and sinker with a 12-to-6 low-80s breaking ball and dancing high-80s changeup, German was able to throw 67 of 96 pitches for strikes.

Not only was the absence of base on balls impressive, but German limited the first-inning longball issues that have plagued him in the majority of his previous starts (10 homers allowed this season). Working around an early unearned run, German retired 18 straight batters before allowing a seventh-inning solo home run to Nelson Cruz.

The 25-year-old Dominican-native moved to 2-4 on the year with a 4.77 ERA, 1.144 WHIP and 72:21 K:BB ratio in 60.1 innings pitched (eight starts). Another important stat is that German is holding left-handed hitters to a sub-par .194 BAA.

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Despite German’s emergence as a viable starter, the Yankees are still in the market to solidify the rotation. Listening to Hal Steinbrenner’s week-old comments, one would think a deal is imminent. But looking at the Yanks’ current staff, once Masahiro Tanaka makes his return from the DL, who gets moved to the bullpen?

It likely won’t be veteran C.C. Sabathia. And you can forget about Sonny Gray now that he has begun pitching to his potential.

With fellow rookie Jonathan Loaisiga flashing his own solid repertoire in his first start and subsequent win vs. the Rays, it’s entirely possible the Yanks are showcasing both he and German for a bonafide ace.

Now I’m not talking about trading either for the likes of J.A. Happ, Cole Hamels or Tyson Ross. Instead, any potential deal involving these emerging kids would need to revolve around the likes of a Madison Bumgarner or Noah Syndergaard type.

As Neil Walker told NJ.com on Tuesday, his former teammate Syndergaard would be a welcome addition in the Bronx.

"“Noah is one of the rare guys in baseball that can just completely overpower a whole lineup,” Walker said.“Not just one time through, two times through — I’ve seen him just blow away guys from the first pitch of the game to the last pitch of the game. He’s super competitive, big, strong guy. He wants the ball. Just one of these guys that is an asset to any team that he’s on, really.”"

Only a tried and true top-flight pitcher is worth toying with the idea of altering a future homegrown Yankee staff. While eight of the Yanks’ top 10 prospects are pitchers, it’s likely a potential trade partner would first ask for a youngster that has already shown sign of promise in the big leagues.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently floated the idea of the Yankees packaging Justus Sheffield, Clint Frazier and Eric Swanson to the Rays for left-hander Blake Snell. Although Snell, 25, is 8-4 with a 2.58 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 87.1 innings, I’m not sure he’s worth overpaying for, dealing three up-and-coming prospects, while also replacing German in the rotation.

Clubs that are out of contention are going to command massive heists, just look at what the Royals got from the Nationals for reliever Kelvin Herrera (three prospects in total, two of which were in the Nats’ top 10).

Jon Morosi’s recent report solidifies that point — that in order for the Red Sox to upgrade their bullpen with someone such as Brad Hand of the Padres, he’d likely cost third baseman, Rafael Devers.

Obviously, you have to trade something of value to get something substantial in return. General manager Brian Cashman will be forced to weigh precisely what that means to him while continuing to keep an eye on the future.

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Trust will grow in German and Loaisiga with the more major league innings they toss. And luckily, the Yanks have plenty of time to decide their playoff readiness. However, it’ll be interesting to see if Cashman strikes while the iron is hot and sells high — or stays the course with the byproducts of his excellent farm system.