By offseason standards, the Yankees are routinely linked to several big players on the free agent and trade markets, though the club has yet to complete a major transaction. New York bolstered its pitching depth by re-signing Ryan Yarbrough And Paul Blackbrandbut those aren’t the kind of arms that would provide the security or benefit of a true front-of-the-rotation arm.
Sherman outlines the situation facing the Yankees’ rotation as the team technically has plenty of starters in between Max Fried, Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, Will Warrenand Yarbrough to cover innings until Carlos Rodon is back from elbow surgery (late April or early May), and Gerrit Kool And Clarke Schmidt are back from Tommy John surgery. Of course, any injuries to the healthy pitchers or setbacks to the injured pitchers could throw this entire plan into disarray, and Schmidt’s availability for any season is uncertain as he underwent his TJ procedure last July.
Landing not only a depth starter, but also a pitcher who could potentially start a playoff game would obviously be a nice boost to the rotation picture. Such an addition provides not only injury cover, but (as Sherman notes) the possibility that Schlittler struggles in his first full Major League season, or that Fried feels some wear and tear after a career-high 195 1/3 innings pitched in 2025.
Interestingly, almost all of the starting pitchers linked to the Yankees this offseason were trade targets, rather than free agents. Given how Cody Bellinger seemingly remains New York’s top overall priority, it looks like the Yankees are spending their free agent dollars in that direction… or perhaps toward another top option like Bo Bichette if no deal can be reached with Bellinger.
While the Yankees were reportedly interested in Tatsuya Imai Earlier this winter, Heyman wrote that the team considered Imai more as a reliever than as a starting pitcher. As such, the Yankees did not make an offer to Imai, as the bidding was likely outside New York’s comfort range for a relief pitcher. Imai’s market ultimately proved smaller than initially thought, and the right-hander ultimately signed with the Astros on a three-year deal worth $54 million that included opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
Heyman also provides some details on the Cabrera negotiations, such as New York’s prospects as a right-hander Ben Hessen and outfielder Dillon Lewis were mentioned, along with “a third lower-level prospect.” It is not specified if these three players were all included in one offer to Miami, but the Marlins opted for the Cubs’ mix of three players instead. Owen Caission, Cristian Hernández And Edgardo De Leon. The highly regarded Caissie is the highest-ranked player in the group and he has already made his MLB debut, so he could be in Miami’s outfield as soon as opening day. It’s easy to see why the hitting-needy Marlins might have preferred Chicago’s offer, especially since the Yankees weren’t willing to include their own top prospect in the game. George Lombard Jr.
In what could be an interesting tidbit to file away for future Yankees-Marlins trade talks, Heyman writes that “Miami loves the super-talented Lewis,” a 13th-round pick in the 2024 draft who completed his first full season of professional ball at high-A Hudson Valley. Baseball America ranks Lewis as the eighth-best prospect in New York’s farm system, with Hess at fifth.
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