Yankees Rumors: What’s the possibility of another trade with the D-Backs?

Although the Winter Meetings don’t begin for another couple of weeks, it’s never too early to investigate potential deals. Talk is going to revolve around free agent superstars Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but Yankees GM Brian Cashman can address the team’s additional needs through familiar avenues by discussing a trade with the Diamondbacks.

The baseball season never truly ends for Yankees GM Brian Cashman and New York’s Front Office. All 30 MLB organizations and their respective executives will gather in Carlsbad, California from Nov. 6-8 to acclimate themselves with one another and review the 2018 season at the annual GM meetings.

As said perfectly by Mike Axisa of CBS Sports, “the GM meetings are to cover off-the-field matters.” But let’s be real, we all know that Cashman will make his rounds and investigate the current trade market.

Bring in: The Diamondbacks.

It’s no lie that the Yankees and D-backs have their fair share of trade history, as New York and Arizona have both been a part of five major deals in the past nine years. Among the players that the Yankees have acquired in these deals include OF Curtis Granderson (three-team deal involving Detroit), RHP Brandon McCarthy, 2B/3B Martín Prado, SS Didi Gregorius, and 2B/3B Brandon Drury.

Why shouldn’t Cashman and current D-Backs’ GM Mike Hazen continue this relationship between both organizations? With Arizona missing out on the playoffs this past season, they may be willing to deal some useful pieces.

Robbie Ray, 27, would certainly bolster a Yankees rotation that currently consists of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and Sonny Gray (probably not for much longer). While New York has constantly been linked to former D-Back and free agent LHP Patrick Corbin, due to their need for starting pitching, Ray may be the more sensible and contract-friendly option.

After missing all of May and most of June with an oblique strain, Ray started 24 games, finishing 6-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 165 K in 123.2 IP. The lefty’s best year to date was in 2017, when he finished 15-5, compiled a 2.89 ERA, and led NL starters with 12.1 K/9 IP. Additionally, Ray was named an NL All-Star and finished seventh in the NL Cy Young voting that season.

Not only would the lefty give the Yankees a consistent arm in the rotation, but he would come with a cheaper price tag. Corbin, 29, is going to require a multi-year contract in excess of $100 million. Ray could be had, potentially, for mid-level prospects and won’t become a free agent until 2021.

In comparison to Ray, a trade for six-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt would require a BOATLOAD of prospects. Arizona is most definitely going to start the negotiations with New York’s top two prospects LHP Justus Sheffield and OF Estevan Florial.

Goldschmidt has not only been one of the best first basemen in baseball over the past couple of years but one of the best hitters in the game for quite some time. In his last six All-Star seasons (2013-18), Goldy posted a slash line of .301/.406/.541, while mashing 181 HR and 602 RBI.

Even with a slow April, Goldschmidt still finished the 2018 campaign with a .290/.389/.533 line, with 33 HR and 88 RBI. In comparison, five different players started the 2018 season at first base for New York (Austin, Bird, Drury, Voit, and Walker) and posted a combined slash line of .234/.309/.453 with 34 HR and 109 RBI. While certainly a larger sample size, Goldschmidt still held his own in terms of productivity. While Goldschmidt may only be a rental, he could be the consistent first baseman that Cashman has been searching for in the 2019 season.

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Sort of a dark-horse trade candidate, reliever Archie Bradley could make an intriguing option to an already stellar Yankees ‘pen. With the potential departures of RHP David Robertson and LHP Zach Britton, New York may need more bullpen help then we thought.

Bradley made the full-time transition to the bullpen in 2017, where he settled for a 1.73 ERA and 79 K across 73.0 IP. While 2018 was certainly a digression, the 26-year old still compiled a respectable 3.64 ERA in 76 relief appearances.

It’s possible that Cashman could make a run for more recognizable free agent relievers such as Andrew Miller and Adam Ottavino, but Bradley wouldn’t require a top prospect in trade talks and won’t become a free agent until 2022.

In reality, Cashman most likely won’t conduct an actual trade for at least another couple of weeks. However, the GM meetings can potentially be where these trade talks actually begin. The Yankees certainly have a lot of cash to spend this offseason, and maybe the trade market won’t be the organization’s way of acquiring talent.

One thing is for sure, never count out Cashman and his past trade history with the D-Backs.