At this point, there’s no reason for the New York Yankees to limit themselves.
The Yankees need more starting pitching if they want to be World Series contenders for the second year in a row. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are a formidable one-two punch, but there’s too much uncertainty in a Will Warren-Ryan Yarbrough tandem.
It’s never too early to look ahead to the Jul. 31 trade deadline, and the Yankees should cast as wide a net as possible. If there’s any chance a team could be selling, New York must monitor that team and try to get a sense of how much their starting pitchers could cost.
With that being said, there will inevitably be some pitchers taken off the market, even as they approach free agency. It still doesn’t hurt to make the ask.
On Monday, Athlon’s Jake Elman named Arizona Diamondbacks star Zac Gallen as an opportunistic trade target for the Yankees ahead of his impending free agency this winter.
“It’s never too early for the Yankees to start thinking about adding rotation help, and Arizona Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen checks every box the Bronx Bombers should have ahead of the July 31 deadline,” Elman wrote.
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“Although the Diamondbacks are 21-20, they also play in an immensely competitive NL West that should send at least two—and, quite possibly, three—teams to the postseason. Gallen makes plenty of sense for the Yankees, and he might not cost them too much.”
Spotrac projects Gallen for a five-year, $117 million deal once free agency arrives. There’s a chance he could get even more, though $200 million seems like the absolute maximum. The D-Backs, having committed $210 million to Corbin Burnes, might not be in position to bring him back.
Still, Arizona truly believes it can contend for the playoffs this season, and unless they fall far out of the race (10 games?), this is likely a pipe dream for the Yankees.
More MLB: Phillies are ‘tremendous fit’ for $8.7 million Orioles trade chip, per insider
