Yankees should pursue this offseason trade with the Tigers to bolster bullpen

This trade with the Tigers could interest the Yankees.

The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are hardly premier trade partners. The Bombers failed to land Max Scherzer in that three-team trade years ago with the Tigers and Diamondbacks. They somehow let Justin Verlander waltz to the Houston Astros. Oh yeah, and remember Detroit wanted Gleyber Torres for Matthew Boyd? Good times.

But maybe the AL Central basement dwellers will come to their senses and not think a deal like the Torres-Boyd one is real life. If we’re looking at the Tigers, it’s obvious they aren’t contenders and it could be smart for them to deal some guys who don’t exactly make up the identity of the roster.

That’s why the Yankees should call Detroit in regards to the availability of reliever Jose Cisnero, who has enjoyed a solid run since returning to Major League Baseball in 2019.

Cisnero will be entering his age-32 season in 2021 and will be under team control through 2023. He’s making just $1.3 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility and could be an asset for the Yankees, who need another arm in the ‘pen after parting ways with Jonathan Holder and Tommy Kahnle.

His fastball, slider and changeup combo has helped him maintain a 3.74 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in his last 64 games dating back to 2019. He was out of baseball from 2015-2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and working his way back up through the minor leagues. Perhaps general manager Brian Cashman spots the value here.

Our offer? You might not like it, but we think Miguel Andújar gets the job done. After all, we’d probably rather trade some blocked MLB talent rather than prospects at this point, though it depends how you look at it.

If the Yankees bring back Brett Gardner, then there’s really no room for Andújar, so why not use him at trade bait? His value isn’t high, but it’s not going to increase if he’s not getting a lick of playing time over Clint Frazier or Gio Urshela. Plus, the drama with his agent isn’t going to help the Yankees’ leverage in talks.

Andújar gives the Tigers a high upside bat under team control for the next four years while the Yankees can add to their bullpen and hopefully improve the bridge to Chad Green, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman. It’s hard to argue this doesn’t make sense.

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