The NY Yankees placed Masahiro Tanaka on the disabled list on Wednesday with an elbow injury following his start against the Cleveland Indians and now Brian Cashman may be forced to make a trade, with names like Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Ian Kennedy, Jon Lester and Jake Peavy potential options.
The New York Post first reported the news about Tanka, who has elbow inflammation and now will be on the DL for at least two weeks, which includes a short break for the All-Star game and home run derby. Tanaka has been a Cy Young candidate and one of the best starters in baseball this season and now the Yankees will await the results of an MRI to see the extent of the damage. Tanaka was signed to a massive free agent deal over the winter and he has proven to be worth every penny to start his career, but now he will be out of action with an injury.
The Yankees have already lost three starting pitchers to injuries, with CC Sabathia likely out for the year with a knee issue, Michael Pineda recovering from a back injury, while Ivan Nova is on the DL with Tommy John surgery and may not even be able to return next season. Tanaka had his worst outing of the season against the Indians, giving up five runs in six innings and now he will take time to recover after going 12-4 and posting a 2.51 ERA in 18 starts.
The 25-year-old Tanaka went undefeated with a 24-0 record in Japan last year before signing a contract worth $155 million over seven years. Tanaka turned into the ace of the rotation in a short period of time and now the Yankees will rely on Hiroki Kuroda, David Phelps, McCarthy and Shane Greene along with a patchwork of other players. Brian Cashman has the chance to look at some deals, including players like David Price, Cliff Lee or Ian Kennedy, but the team may not have the players to move.
The Phillies aren't a bad partner since they could be sellers at the deadline and the Yankees have long wanted Cliff Lee, but he may cost too much money. Hamels is another option, while Kennedy plays for a bad Padres team and the Red Sox have Peavy and Lester, but they likely are signing Lester long term. Peavy has said that he knows he potentially could be traded and if the Sox lose some more games heading into the All-Star break, they could be selling.