Yankees: 3 pitching trades Brian Cashman can pull off this offseason

The Yankees are going to be in the market for controllable pitching again this offseason.

The Yankees — and stop me if you’ve heard this one before — still need young-ish pitching that’ll be under control for multiple seasons.

It’s seemed, for the past few years, that Brian Cashman’s efforts have been foiled mainly by changing circumstances here.

Cash went most famously for Gerrit Cole, who had two years left before free agency, but the Pirates chose Houston’s inferior offer, the Astros never won a ring with Cole, and the whole thing has now reached its rightful (though more costly) conclusion. Other targets like Luis Castillo of Cincinnati … well, they got too good, and their teams started to contend. Weird, but it happens sometime.

So, who’s still on the table, for the right price? The Yanks may be able to pry these three pitchers loose this offseason.

3. Matthew Boyd, Tigers

The Yankees will forever and always be pursuing Matthew Boyd.

Finally, the time may be right for the Yankees to pounce on Matthew Boyd — though, of course, the rest of the league will be thinking the exact same way.

Boyd, armed with a wipeout slider, emerged as a prime target at last year’s deadline, but was overvalued by his own GM. Yes, the Yankees (and other contenders, like the Astros) wanted him. No, they didn’t want him in exchange for Gleyber Torres.

Now, though, Boyd is suffering through an unfortunate 2020, marred by a 9.64 ERA through his first five starts. This hasn’t zapped his value, but it’s likely instilled a few regrets in the mind of Al Avila, who could’ve jettisoned him for much more value last summer.

Prospects like Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal have already shoved their feet through the door and cracked the rotation, and Matt Manning isn’t far behind. Boyd is only the de facto ace, and will not be involved in the next great era of Tigers baseball.

This is the offseason he’ll move, and he’ll still bring his elite slider and strikeout tool with him. Cashman should be ready to strike, likely with two top-15 prospects.

1. Zach Plesac

The increasingly-desperate Indians could look to the Yankees for Zach Plesac relief.

If Zach Plesac doesn’t defy protocol and venture out in Chicago a few weeks ago, this is so far from a conversation.

The Tribe are now looking to dump Plesac, with very good reason, and unfortunately, this means that risk-averse teams like the Yankees now have to weigh the moral implications of donating a second chance to a kid who made a locker room-splitting mistake.

We know the negatives surrounding Plesac. The day before his Indians teammates were going to break for a day off and visit their families, he risked the health and well-being of every one of his supposed brothers, potentially exposing himself to coronavirus with an ill-advised night out.

Cleveland is fractured, but not evenly; you won’t find many Plesac defenders in that locker room right about now. And if he’s not dealt midseason, Brian Cashman has the ability to circle back once the fervor dies down this offseason and see what it’d take to import a pitcher who’d broken out in 2020 otherwise.

In three exceptional starts, the 25-year-old Plesac holds a 1.29 ERA, whiffing 24 in 21.0 innings. The Indians, led by their rotation, would be dealing from a position of strength — they even increased the righty’s value by demoting him and removing service time from his shoulders.

Working out a Plesac trade comes with some serious baggage, but it will likely be less weighty when the season concludes. This feels icky, but there will certainly be a wide array of teams dipping their toes in the water here.

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