The New York Yankees are dealing with a ton of injuries in the rotation and now the team could look for a trade and names like Rick Porcello, Jeff Samardzija, Bronson Arroyo, Jason Hammel, Cliff Lee and Justin Masterson could be in the mix for Brian Cashman as he tries to weather injuries to CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda and now the situation is even more of an emergency, as CC will be out until July at least.
The Yankees have been dealing with an injured rotation for the past few weeks with Nova and Pineda going down and now the ace is out as well in Sabathia. According to the NY Post, Sabathia will be out until July at least and that comes after he was placed on the DL with a knee injury, which did not require surgery and did not have structural damage. ESPN.com reports that Sabathia could be out for six weeks and into July, as his right knee may have a "degenerative change" that requires more time to heal. The Yankees have been able to get by with Masahiro Tanaka and Hiroki Kuroda bumping up in the rotation, but names like David Phelps, Vidal Nuno and Chase Whitley can only last for so long.
ESPN.com reported that Hal Steinbrenner said that he would be willing to spend money to shore up the pitching, but money may not be the issue for the team. The Yankees have tried to avoid mistakes of the past by trading young talent and to get a top pitcher they may have to give up their best prospect in Gary Sanchez, which is something Cashman has tried not to do in recent years. The team made a deal with Jesus Montero and that ended up working out beautifully and now they have to try and find another way to add an arm.
The team has long been in love with Cliff Lee and that would be paying for pitching, as he is making over $20 million per season and a 2016 option at over $25 million and that could be too much for the team take. Lee has the Yankees on his no trade list so he must approve and he comes in at the age of 35 and has been solid this season with a 3.23 ERA so far in 2014. The Phillies have been so-so this season and could look to deal him.
Porcello is off to a great start and the Tigers could look to move him, while Samardzija is a name that has come up quite a bit. Samardzija is already frustrated with the Cubs after not coming to a contract extension and now he is even more angry, as he has yet to get a win yet and has a 1.62 ERA and he may want out of Chicago sooner rather than later. Samardzija could be a nice young pitcher to add to the rotation if the Cubs pull the trigger. Hammel is another player for the team that could move, while Arroyo is a solid veteran that could be in the mix as well.