Yankees Rumors: What Pitcher Will New York Target In 2018-2019 MLB Free Agency?

The New York Yankees’ season only ended a few days ago and there are already rumors regarding how the team will look to improve for 2019. After losing in four games to the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, the Yankees are expected to be major players in free agency.

Sources have told Fancred’s Jon Heyman that New York will target Patrick Corbin this winter. It comes as no surprise that the Yankees plan to go after the Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitcher, who was among the National League’s best starters in the final year of his contract.

Corbin, 29, had a career-year in 2018. His 3.15 ERA was eighth in the NL and his 1.05 WHIP ranked fourth. Only Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom had more strikeouts.

There were rumors before the start of the 2018 season that the Yankees might trade for Corbin. He went 14-13 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in 2017. Corbin was an All-Star this season for the first time since 2013 when he had a 3.41 ERA in 208.1 innings as a second-year player.

New York will have plenty of money to spend in the offseason, and the rotation can certainly use an upgrade. In five playoff games, only one Yankee starter pitched more than four innings. Luis Severino and C.C. Sabathia combined to allowed nine earned runs in six innings in the team’s Game 3 and Game 4 losses to Boston in the Bronx.

J.A. Happ could return to New York in 2019, though he’ll be a free agent. The same goes for Sabathia.

Much of the speculation regarding the Yankees’ upcoming offseason has revolved around Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Both players will be 26 years old this winter and could command contracts worth more than $300 million.

Signing Corbin wouldn’t cost the Yankees nearly that much money, and it sounds like the left-hander would love to wear pinstripes.

“It would definitely be great to play there,’’ Corbin said, via USA Today, in April. “I grew up a Yankee fan. My whole family are Yankee fans. My mom, my dad, my grandpa, everybody. Really, every generation of my family has been Yankee fans.

“Living up in Syracuse, everybody’s a Yankee fan. Not too many Mets fans up there.’’

The Yankees went 100-62 in the regular season, winning the first AL Wild-Card spot for the second straight year.