As the New York Yankees get several of their fielding players healthy again, their pitching rotation continues to struggle. While most fans would love it, sadly Masahiro Tanaka cannot pitch every game. Their starting rotation consists of Tanaka, Hiroki Kuroda, David Phelps, Chase Whitley and Vidal Nuno. That is not exactly what Brian Cashman had in mind this offseason. With the trade market heating up, will the Yankees make a move?
As of now, there is no timetable for the return of CC Sabathia. Early reports have the starter back in July, but that is mere speculation. Ivan Nova is lost for the year after deciding to undergo Tommy John surgery. As now, Michael Pineda has suffered a setback. Manager Joe Girardi told media (via ESPN.com) that the starting pitcher will be out longer than expected after experiencing severe muscle pain. Team doctors intend to keep him on the disabled list for longer than expected.
"That's a doctor's call," Girardi said. "I think the last time we shut him down 10 days before he picked up a baseball, and I'm sure it will be 10 days here, maybe a little more depending on what they feel. It's not what we want. It's very similar to what he had about six weeks ago."
The lack of pitching depth has the Yankees looking at options. The team can either make a trade for a top pitcher and keep themselves in the title hunt or they can grab someone to simply hold them over until several players come back. New York spent a lot of money this offseason to contend for a title, so they could easily chase a big name.
According to MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are a favorite to land Jeff Smardzija and it is only a matter of time before the team calls up the Chicago Cubs for an asking price. The Cubs star pitcher continues to be the best in the league, while dealing with the worst team in the league. His value is high and so is his asking price. The Cubs want another bat and likely another pitcher. The Yankees could swing a deal involving a player like Ichiro Suzuki or Brett Gardner while adding in a player like Bryan Mitchell or Adam Warren who are young, developing pitchers.
Of course there is always the option of David Price, but the Tampa Bay Rays have denied every deal that has come their way. There is little to no chance that the Yankees can persuade the Rays into any sort of trade package for the pitcher. A trade for Max Scherzer will also get revisited. New York was interested once before and likely remain that way the longer he sits with an expiring contract.
