Yankees must learn from Pirates-Astros trade and deal from their young pitching surplus

When one looks at the New York Yankees' roster, the thing that stands out most might be the club's incredible starting pitching depth. Yankees starters led the majors in ERA with a 3.30 mark. Their 3.57 FIP also ranked first, while their 9.43 K/9 checked in at third, and their 2.80 BB/9 came in fifth.

The unit was dominant, and it's even more impressive when you consider that Gerrit Cole wasn't ready to return from Tommy John surgery to begin the season, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón had long chunks of their seasons erased by multiple IL stints, and Ryan Weathers missed the final five weeks of the regular season. The high-end talent was there, but so was the depth, and that will continue into 2027.

New York has six starters who would be locks for any rotation in the league. Elmer Rodriguez got his feet wet this year, and while it was a mixed bag for the former top prospect, he'd likely earn a fifth starter job on a good number of clubs thanks to his pedigree and the fact that he didn't embarrass himself when called upon. While they can't be counted on for much given their injury histories, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil are still kicking around, for now.

It's an embarrassment of riches, which stands in stark contrast to other areas of the Yankees' roster that need significant overhauls if the franchise is to turn the tide and snap its nearly two-decade-long streak of playoff futility.

At minimum, New York needs a new second baseman and/or third baseman, a catcher, and at least two bullpen arms. A center fielder might be on the docket as well, depending on how you feel about Spencer Jones' ability to hold up defensively. More position player depth is required, and perhaps some additional help in the outfield could be a need, as it's likely that Aaron Judge gets more reps at DH moving forward.

Those are a lot of holes to fill, and in some cases, such as third base, the free-agent market is slim pickings. That brings us to the logical conclusion of trading a starting pitcher for help elsewhere.

The Yankees trading a young, controllable starter isn't the double-edged sword that it seems to be

One can look at everything laid out above and think it's time to pump the brakes on this idea. The Yankees needed to dip down to their seventh starter in Rodriguez six times in 2026, and that number might grow with Fried, Cole, and Rodón all a year older.

That's true, to an extent, but it's also an incomplete picture of the team's needs relative to the market. Last winter, we saw the market for controllable starting pitchers reach unfathomable heights. The Yankees gave up four prospects for Weathers, who up to that point had never thrown more than 94 2/3 innings in a single season.

We also saw an extraordinary deal where five prospects, all in the top 30, moved from the Texas Rangers to the Washington Nationals in exchange for MacKenzie Gore. At that point in time, Gore had just one season with an ERA below 4.00: 2024's 3.90 ERA performance. Then there was the treasure trove of assets the Baltimore Orioles gave up for Shane Baz and the Taylor Ward-for-Grayson Rodriguez swap.

But the one that stands out, and what the Yankees should try to emulate, was the three-team deal that sent Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros and landed Brandon Lowe, Mason Montgomery, and Jake Mangum with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the time of that deal, Burrows had thrown just 99 1/3 career innings, and while it was a three-team trade, one can think of this as Houston sending the prospects necessary to acquire Lowe, Montgomery, and Mangum from the Rays, then shipping the trio to the Pirates for Burrows.

Lowe hit 35 homers this season and continued his long resume of stellar play. Montgomery ascended to the closer role and dominated with a 25-inning scoreless streak to end the year. Mangum is a speedy and solid fourth outfielder. Lowe was a one-year rental, but Montgomery and Mangum are under team control through 2030,

Swapping one of Warren, Weathers, or Rodriguez for a similar package that fills three needs would be a huge boost to the team overall, even if it costs valuable starter depth. The market for cost-controlled starters is likely to be just as insane, since what we saw last year was likely a byproduct of the looming lockout.

Starting pitching on the free-agent market is one of the most expensive commodities, so it makes sense that teams would pay big, asset-wise, for less established starters on inexpensive deals.

If the Yankees were able to pull off a trade in which they acquired a position player solution, a reliever, and a bench piece for one of their young arms, they'd still need to replace that depth. They could do so one of two ways.

First, they could re-sign Ryan Yarbrough. The veteran southpaw was only called upon to make two brief starts this season, but in 2025 he proved that he can still be a reliable swingman, making eight starts overall. He'd be cheap and would still be a viable No. 7 starter.

Or, they could go nuclear and sign a top-of-market free-agent starter. Tarik Skubal would be the ultimate prize, but a reunion with Michael King would be almost as intriguing. That might seem like overkill, but if the Yankees want to end the postseason embarrassment, going nuclear might be what it takes.

Trading from their starting pitching depth and taking advantage of an extreme sellers' market is the best way to fill the majority of the roster's holes, making it too obvious a solution for the Yankees to pass up. At the end of the day, this is about asset management and the fact that the No. 6 or No. 7 starter can fetch pieces that will provide much more value than that hurler alone.

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