The New York Yankees have already been active on the trade market just a couple of weeks into the offseason and now the latest rumors suggest they could start doing the same in free agency.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News is reporting the Yankees "could make a serious run" at former Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen.
"A lot of teams are going to be in on him," the source told Feinsand. "But the Yankees are going to be one of them."
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports also echoed that notion.
"GM Brian Cashman has made effective use of trades over the last year, and the Yankees aren't expected to play seriously for the biggest of the free-agent starters (they probably like Max Scherzer better than anyone from this year's crop, and ultimately, they didn't play for him). The issue seems to be their 50 percent luxury tax, which is obviously quite high. Instead, the Yankees may target [Jeff] Samardzija or Wei-Yin Chen, who will get big deals but very likely something below the $100-million mark."
Feinsand also noted that Chen, 30, is seeking a five-year deal, but it's unclear how many teams would be willing to make such a long-term commitment when there are many other high-profile starting pitchers on the market who are commanding a similar type deal.
ESPN Insider Jim Bowden predicts Chen will land a four-year, $52 million deal, which is well within striking distance for the Yankees, who are looking to sign middle-of-the-pack free agents.
"Here's another underrated middle-of-the-rotation starter. Chen has been about as consistent as any lefty starter in baseball over the past two years, posting a solid 3.44 ERA in 62 starts. He's very savvy on the mound, often pitching backward (that is, working counts differently than most pitchers) and owning the black on both sides of the plate. Contending teams looking to improve the back end of their rotation should be all over him this winter."
Chen has spent his entire MLB career in the AL East, which is likely attractive to Cashman.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Orioles presented Chen with the qualifying offer, so if he signs with New York then the Yankees would have to surrender their 2016 first-round pick to Baltimore. The Yanks have the 22nd overall pick in June and could be comfortable with giving it away since they had two first-rounders in 2015.
New York has a number of questions surrounding their starting rotation, most notably health issues with Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi. CC Sabathia left the team to enter alcohol rehab at the end of the season, which leaves rookie Luis Severino as the only reliable starter heading into 2015.
Adding Chen would provide depth and stability to a rotation that absolutely needs to perform well in 2016 if New York wants to stand a chance in the competitive American League.
