The New York Yankees are in first place in the AL East, but the pitching rotation has taken some hits of late and a trade could be in the works later in the spring or summer, with names like Jeff Samardzija, Cliff Lee, David Price, Justin Masterson and Mark Buehrle possibly in the mix for a deal after the team lost Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda to injuries.
The Yankees have done a good job at getting by without Nova since he went down with shoulder surgery, but after Pineda got suspended and then injured, the rotation has gotten a little thin. The pitching was the best strength early in the season with Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka pitching well, but recently CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda have been beat around a bit and with David Phelps and Vidal Nuno stepping in, the team could use an upgrade. ESPN.com write Ian O'Connor mentioned names like Samardzija, Lee, Price and Buehrle as potential options on Twitter, but so far no real talks have started up on either side.
The Yankees do not want to give up too much in any deal and they also don't want to give up prospects like Gary Sanchez, but they may not have a choice depending on how the rotation develops and if Pineda's injury is serious. Buehrle is a player that is interesting for the Yankees, as he could fit into the rotation easily and he has been pitching very well this season. The Blue Jays are a team that could be active at the deadline and Buehrle comes in at 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 10 walks and that will make him a target for teams heading into the summer. Buehrle can handle pitching in the AL and he also has a great streak of over 10 years of pitching 200 or more innings and that would be huge for the Yankees bullpen as well.
Samardzija comes in after having a solid season in 2013 and he went for over 200 innings and strikeouts and this season he is 0-2 with a 1.29 ERA for the Cubs. The team may be willing to part with him for prospects, but that is something the Yankees have tried to avoid in recent years. The team thinks that this season can be a World Series championship year, meaning they might be more willing to unload someone like Sanchez in a deal if they can get Samardzija or even someone like Cliff Lee.
Lee had another great season last year with while going 14-8 with a 2.87 ERA and 222 strikeouts and he also pitched that many innings and in each of the years he has been on Philly he has been over 200 in both categories. Sabathia is having an up and down season this year and he has yet to return to that ace form and that could be another reason why the Yankees make a move. The Yankees are ranked 22nd in ERA and 18th in quality starts and while the offense has been solid, the pitching has been a bit rocky and that could get Brian Cashman to make a move.