The Yankees don’t get their talent from South Beach.
The Cubs are working on a deal to acquire Marlins righthander Edward Cabrera, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed Wednesday, after the Yankees had been in talks with Miami about a potential deal — though they were said to be “never close.”
Cabrera has the kind of upside that the Yankees are trying to solidify their rotation, but not necessarily the durability, which looms large as they are already set to start the season with Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt on the injured list. Cabrera has been on the IL several times in recent years, including one due to an elbow sprain in September.
The Yankees will now have to look elsewhere for starting pitching help as they are expected to enter the season with a rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough. Fried, Schlittler and Warren are all coming off heavy workloads in their careers and Gil is struggling to stay healthy. Therefore, the Yankees may need to add more in that area, especially to help them get through the first part of the season before Rodón and Cole return.
While their biggest priority remains re-signing Cody Bellinger, there are still a few attractive weapons available on the trade market, assuming that’s the path the Yankees choose instead of free agency to keep payroll in check. Some of the most notable starters potentially available include Brewers ace Freddy Peralta and Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore, although there will likely be plenty of suitors for both.
Peralta is just a year away from free agency, but would still have a big head start given his track record. The 29-year-old right-hander is having the best season of his career, posting a 2.70 ERA with 204 strikeouts in 176 ²/₃ innings. He has made more than 30 starts in each of the past three seasons and will make just $8 million in 2026.
The Brewers could look for a return package similar to the one they got for Corbin Burnes when they sent him to the Orioles two years ago, which netted them shortstop Joey Ortiz and left-hander DL Hall — two top prospects at the time who were MLB-ready.
Gore, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old southpaw who would get two years of team control, but is less assured. He is coming off a 30-start season in which he posted a 4.17 ERA and struck out 185 in 159 ²/₃ innings. In 2024, he pitched to a 3.90 ERA across 32 starts, with 181 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings.
Gore was once part of the Padres’ blockbuster return for Juan Soto in 2022 and is expected to make about $4.7 million this season, his second year in arbitration.
“I would like to add a starter either way,” general manager Brian Cashman said during the Winter Meetings last month. “The more, the merrier. If we can find some inventory to add to our crew – but at the same time knowing that our crew will be there if they’re all healthy, so it has to be something that allows for some flexibility – which could also include the worst-case scenario if everyone stays healthy, which is never the case, then you can push someone into the pen if you need to.”
The Yankees could also turn to the free-agent market to add a starter, although they may have more difficulty doing so if they re-sign Cody Bellinger, which would bring their payroll to over $300 million. Bringing Bellinger back would make someone like Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones more available in a trade for a starting pitcher, but for now the Yankees are just waiting.
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