Yankees considered one of the front runners to sign free agent Dallas Keuchel

According to Andy Martino of SNY, the Yankees are well positioned to land free agent Dallas Keuchel next week. Teams will ramp up their pursuit of the veteran left-hander starting Monday because after midnight on June 2nd the team who signs him will no longer be attached to a draft compensation pick.

The Yankees have been linked to Keuchel ever since he became a free agent and now even more so because all the injuries they’ve suffered to their starting rotation. James Paxton made his return from the IL on Wednesday and CC Sabathia will make his on Sunday but staff ace Luis Severino is still out with arm issues and won’t be back until after the All-Star break at the earliest.

Domingo German has been great filling Sevy’s spot in the rotation and could be an All-Star but in the second half, there’s a good chance the Yankees are going to limit his innings. With that looming and the uncertainty regarding Sevy’s health and eventual return, the Yanks are likely going to need to add another starter and Keuchel fits the bill.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Yankees would rather wait and see how things play out with Severino before deciding to sign Keuchel. The problem is if they do wait he’ll surely be gone and sign with another team.

If Sevy ends up struggling upon his return or doesn’t come back at all the Yankees could also look to trade for a front line starter like Madison Bumgarner or Marcus Stroman but that’s going to cost them a haul of prospects. Keuchel, on the other hand, wouldn’t cost them anything but money (likely on a one year deal) and the expectation is he’ll be signed shortly after the June 2nd deadline next week.

For the team that does land Keuchel, it shouldn’t take him long to be big league ready according to his agent Scott Boras. Boras told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi that he’s thrown seven simulated games of 95-104 pitches every five days and that he should be ready to pitch at the major league level a week after signing with a new club.

For a team that desperately needs starting pitching help now, that’s great news but for the Yankees, the need for them might not be as urgent. Entering Friday’s series with the Red Sox the Yanks have now won eight straight series and 12 of their last 13. Despite the absence of Severino and the injuries to Paxton and CC, they’ve thrived during this stretch.

More from Yankees Rumors

• Should Yankees toss short-term extension at Harrison Bader before 2023?
• MLB insider claims favorite emerging in Bryan Reynolds rumors (not Yankees)
• No, Yankees should not acquire Trevor Bauer for 2023
• Surprising stat could breed Yankees-Reds deal at 2023 trade deadline
• Is anybody going to sign Aroldis Chapman away from Yankees?

Over the past couple weeks, they’ve used Chad Green as an opener three times, winning all three games, but with CC back on Sunday they don’t need to keep using Green in that role and can go back to featuring a five-man rotation.

That being said, if they were to sign Keuchel next week they would surely find a spot for him in the rotation but at the moment you could argue they don’t really need him.

That’s why the Yankees are in a tricky spot because in the second half they’ll almost definitely need a pitcher like Keuchel. They just can’t afford to wait that long if he’s the guy they want.