Could the Yankees reunite with a former starter?
The New York Yankees are struggling a bit as the month of July rolls on. They recently had a six-game losing streak that took them out of first place in the American League East.
Now, they are 3 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. They are going to need some help at the trade deadline.
More specifically, they are going to need an arm or two to boost the starting rotation. Clarke Schmidt recently underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of 2025.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed a few high-priced arms the Yankees could target in trades. Among them was St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray.
"As far as top prospects go, the Yankees don't have a ton to offer. But even though they're already on track to pay a hefty luxury tax bill, money should be no object for them and they could go get a pricy-for-multiple-years guy like Sandy Alcantara, Mitch Keller or—should the Cardinals continue to falter and embrace a fire sale—Sonny Gray," Miller wrote.
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Gray is 8-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 17 starts with the Cardinals. The veteran right-hander pitched with the Yankees in 2017 and 2018.
Because the Yankees don't have many top prospects to spare, they may be forced to eat a significant portion of Gray's salary to avoid giving up a haul.
It's also important to note that in his contract with the Cardinals, Gray has a no-trade clause, so he would have to approve a trade before the Cardinals signed off on it.
But Gray could significantly bolster the Yankees rotation and give them a frontline arm to get them through the rest of the regular season. He can eat innings and generate swings and misses.
The 35-year-old is averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He's also a three-time All-Star and former Cy Young runner up.
We'll see if the Yankees and Cardinals can get a deal done. A lot also depends on where St. Louis stands at the deadline.
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Category: Baseball
