Will the New York Yankees make a trade deadline splash for starting pitching?
For the New York Yankees, starting pitching help recently went from a luxury to a must-have.
With the news that starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt needs Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are now short one of their most reliable arms for the rest of the year. Schmidt had a 3.32 ERA through 14 starts, but the Yankees now have to soldier on.
Fortunately, even after their awful recent stretch, the 49-42 Yankees are still in playoff position and can consider themselves surefire trade deadline buyers. The starting pitching market could be somewhat shallow this summer, but they should be able to find something of value.
Speaking of which, how about a former Cy Young Award winner?
In a recent article, Zach Kaplan of Athlon suggested a trade in which the Yankees would acquire Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Brock Selvidge and right-handed pitching prospect Cade Smith.
"Alcantara's price may never be lower, although the Marlins may choose to hold onto the 2022 National League Cy Young as he continues to decline to a season ERA above seven," Kaplan wrote.
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"The Marlins are interested in obtaining plus value prospects for Sandy, who returned at the start of the year from Tommy John surgery. His unsightly numbers don't reflect well for the Yankees, but this deal takes two prospects who wouldn't be available until 2026 and gives the Yankees another plus arm."
Indeed, Alcantara's season ERA now sits at 7.01 through 17 starts. The Marlins wouldn't get a king's ransom for him, but they still might prefer to offload him now for two solid prospects rather than taking a chance on his value continuing to drop.
Alcantara's contract situation (five-year, $56 million extension running through 2026, with a $21 million club option for 2027) plays in the Marlins' favor. That, in turn, could increase the odds he's made available if a team like the Yankees makes a strong offer.
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