Yankees Trade Candidates: 4 Pitchers New York Could Pursue To Replace Luis Severino At 2020 Deadline

The New York Yankees have lost Luis Severino for the 2020 MLB season because of Tommy John Surgery. It’s a significant blow to a rotation that will already be without James Paxton on Opening Day.

The Yankees won’t acquire a top starter during spring training. If pitching turns out to be a problem during the season, New York might try to improve the rotation with a notable trade.

The Yankees have traded for a starting pitcher during two of the last three seasons. With championship aspirations this year, they’ll likely make another in-season move if necessary.

Here are four starters that the Yankees could potentially target before the 2020 MLB trade deadline.

Jeff Samardzija, San Francisco Giants

San Francisco’s had at least 85 losses in three straight seasons, and the Giants aren’t expected to be a contender in 2020. That means Samardzija will likely be available this summer in the final year of his contract. The 35-year-old probably wouldn’t crack the Yankees’ playoff rotation, but he’s an option that won’t cost top prospects and could be an innings eater in the regular season.

Samardzija had arguably his best season in San Francisco last year with a 3.52 ERA in 181.1 innings. The right-hander was limited to a 6.25 ERA in 44.2 innings the previous season.

Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Yankees and Diamondbacks had discussions about Ray at last year’s trade deadline. New York was unwilling to meet Arizona’s asking price of Clint Frazier and three prospects, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. If Arizona is not a contender this summer, the cost for Ray could be significantly less in the last year of his contract.

Ray had 235 strikeouts and a 4.34 ERA in the 2019 season. He finished seventh in the 2017 NL Cy Young race with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds

Bauer is another pitcher that makes the list in large part because he’s going to be a free agent after the 2020 World Series. The Reds traded for Bauer just prior to last year’s deadline, hoping the right-hander would help Cincinnati get back to the postseason. But the Reds only won 75 games in 2019 and have suffered at least 86 losses in six straight years, so there’s a real possibility they’ll return to being sellers in July.

In 56.1 innings with Cincinnati, Bauer had an abysmal 6.39 ERA. He had a 3.79 ERA in Cleveland before being traded and was sixth in the 2018 AL Cy Young voting.

Corey Kluber, Texas Rangers

Here’s another example of a pitcher that was recently traded and could conceivably become available in July. Texas gave up a relatively cheap package to acquire the two-time Cy Young winner this offseason. Kluber is coming off an injury-riddled 2019 season, pitching to a 5.80 ERA in seven starts. If the veteran returns to being an All-Star and Texas isn’t a contender, Kluber and his $18 million team option for 2021 could become very valuable at the deadline.

Kluber was the 2017 AL Cy Young winner with an AL-best 2.25 ERA. He was the third-place finisher in 2016 and 2018.