3 trade targets that will hurt Yankees rather than help them

Lance Lynn (and Lucas Giolito?), Chicago White Sox

The last time the Yankees tried to shore up their rotation by plucking the underutilized Lance Lynn from his post-Cardinals purgatory with the Minnesota Twins, it went ... kind of OK! They believed Lynn had more value left under the hood, following a 5.10 ERA first half in Minneapolis, and they were right. He whiffed 61 men in 54.1 innings with the Bronx Bombers, bringing much-needed attitude to the mound, until he ... fell out of favor down the stretch, for whatever reason, and couldn't crack the postseason rotation.

Instead of being used to establish dominance early, he came into Game 1 in the fifth inning after JA Happ had already allowed five earned runs, then entered to clean up Luis Severino's mess in Game 3 and ... didn't (0.1 IP, 2 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk). That was the last time he ever toed the mound in pinstripes.

As it turns out, the Yankees were right. There was more under the hood. Plenty more! Lynn went on to sign in Texas and deliver two top-10 Cy Young seasons before being dealt to Chicago and delivering another one. Now 36, it seems he might've entered a different era this offseason, though; his 6.55 ERA and -0.9 bWAR are too marks the Yankees front office won't envy (yes, even though he's still striking out 10.2 men per nine innings, comparable to his 10.1 mark with the Yanks in 2018).

Plus, you can add Lynn to the list of active participants in MLB who hate the Yankees. If he didn't hate them after his ill-fated 2018 stint in pinstripes and strange postseason misuse, then he certainly does now, based on his opinion on Aaron Judge's sideways eyes. Drill him! Drill him again! OK, guy.

His White Sox teammate Lucas Giolito might be the premier option on the market this summer, but if the Yankees are looking for something more than a rental innings-eater, we might preach caution there, too. Giolito's ERA of 4.08 is a half-run higher than his glory days, and his xERA of 4.54 indicates there's another layer of regression coming.

Don't say we didn't warn you.