Yankees Trade Rumors: Cy Young Winner, Top Free Agent Pitcher On New York's Radar At 2018 GM Meetings

Most of the buzz this offseason has revolved around Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, but signing a slugger isn’t the top priority of the New York Yankees. While the team could enter the 2019 MLB season with one of the two big bats on their roster, general manager Brian Cashman has made it clear that the organization’s primary goal is to improve the starting rotation.

The Yankees are expected to go after free agent Patrick Corbin, who might earn the largest contract of any available starter. They’ve also got a chance to re-sign J.A. Happ and C.C. Sabathia.

Free agency isn’t the only route New York is exploring to improve their rotation. The Yankees are interested in making a trade for a starter, as well.

The Cleveland Indians will listen to trade packages for both Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan has reported that the Seattle Mariners are prepared to entertain offers for James Paxton. Francred’s Jon Heyman said the Yankees are interested in all three pitchers.

With two AL Cy Young awards and four top-three finishes in the last five years, Kluber is the best of the bunch and might cost New York the most in terms of assets. The demand for Carrasco would be high, as well, considering he’s owed less than $20 million over the next two years and has posted ERAs of 3.32, 3.29 and 3.38 in the last three years.

Paxton doesn’t have nearly the same resume as Kluber or Carrasco. He’s never pitched more than 160.1 innings since making his MLB debut in 2013. The left-hander has been productive when healthy over the last three seasons, pitching to a 3.53 ERA. He’s the youngest of the three pitchers and has two more years of arbitration before he can become a free agent in 2021.

“I think we'll just gravitate to anything that will make sense,” Cashman said Monday at the start of the 2018 General Manager Meetings, via mlb.com. “It could be a combination; something could make sense via trade in the same category as free agency. I'm interested in adding more than one pitcher. I need to, I think, add multiple. If I can do so, we'll see.”

Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka are the Yankees’ two returning starters that are under contract for 2019. Severino was one of MLB’s best pitchers from 2017 through the first half of 2018, but he struggled mightily after the All-Star break. Tanaka had a 3.75 ERA in the 2018 regular season. He’s given up three earned runs in 25 playoff innings since last year.

Sonny Gray is under contract and capable of starting, but he isn’t in the Yankees’ plans. The right-hander was pulled from the rotation mid-season, and Cashman has made it clear the team plans to trade him this offseason.

New York’s starting pitching was ultimately the team’s undoing in the playoffs. In each of their three losses to the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, the Yankees’ starter didn’t pitch more than three innings.

The Yankees got a 4.05 ERA from their starters in the regular season. New York went 100-62 and finished eight games behind the world champion Red Sox in the AL East.