The New York Yankees witnessed a drastic decline with their pitching staff and now rank at the bottom of the MLB in team ERA (4.01). General manager Brian Cashman reiterated the club is seeking a right-handed reliever, but their quest for a starter is alive and well, according to recent rumors.
New York's starting rotation has been inconsistent and the team moved Adam Warren, who had the staff's best ERA, to the bullpen over a week ago after citing his innings limit as the principal reason. While their offense is among the best in the league, the rotation is certainly not built to produce down the stretch or survive a short postseason series.
We all know the story.
Masahiro Tanaka's elbow health is a mystery; Michael Pineda can deliver a gem or a dud as seen at this point; CC Sabathia is not what he used to be and he's hurting the team right now; Nathan Eovaldi is unable to pitch deep into games and has been perhaps the most inconsistent of the bunch; and Ivan Nova just returned from Tommy John surgery and he'll need some time to get back in the groove.
As a result, the Yankees are one of six teams "looking into the starters' market," according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. However, one American League general manager told him "there may not be big deals for big starters until close to the July 31 trade deadline" because no team has declared themselves a seller yet.
That hasn't stopped New York from doing their homework. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Yankees had scouts in attendance to watch Cincinnati Reds' starter Johnny Cueto pitch on Tuesday night. It's also been said Chicago White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija is the "perfect fit" for the Yanks because the Chicago Cubs' front office exec who signed the right-hander now works for New York, according to FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal.
They've also been linked to left-handers Cole Hamels (PHI) and Scott Kazmir (OAK), but the price for Hamels (who said he would accept a deal to New York) could be too steep for Cashman's liking and Kazmir left yesterday's game with triceps tightness. Although Kazmir said it "felt very minor," one general manager told Peter Gammons that "when a rental leaves a game right before the trade deadline, it scares down."
Heyman lists another group of pitchers that could be of interest to those seeking an upgrade: Mike Leake (CIN), Andrew Cashner (SD), Tyson Ross (SD) and Jon Niese (NYM). We talked earlier today about the Blue Jays' willingness to acquire a starter and any of those above names could appeal to them as well, which means the Yankees will have competition on the market.
At the very least, the Yankees will go after a reliever because they can't keep throwing Dellin Betances out there night after night. Someone else is going to need to eat some innings if the starters can't go deep into games.
"[The Yankees have] downplayed their trade interest, but I'm told they're targeting yet another bullpen piece," ESPN Insider Jim Bowden writes. "Hey, we're talking the Yankees here; I can't see GM Brian Cashman standing pat. Look for them to get something done, albeit without including their top two prospects, Luis Severino and Aaron Judge."
Although it's unlikely they part ways with Severino and Judge, perhaps Hamels could be a bigger target now, as it was reported earlier today that Phillies' executives are "growing more realistic in what they want" for the left-hander.
We don't know what that means entirely, but it does potentially open up some more doors for New York.
We'll see what happens in the next three weeks.
