Yanks need pitching, not Machado
Manny Machado is one of the greatest players on the planet, but unless he has hidden pitching talents, he really makes little sense for the Yankees.
Jacob deGrom is the finest pitcher on the trade market who would dramatically impact the American League East race like no other, but unless the Mets suddenly are overcome with benevolence toward their New York neighbors, he’s not leaving Queens.
So what is baseball’s most famous and powerful franchise to do as the Yankees watch the runaway Red Sox expand their lead to 31⁄2 games in the AL East race, their largest since April 30, entering Wednesday?
The urgent message sent out to the Yankees scouts: “Find some pitching, boys. And please hurry!”
The Yankees, who have lost two games this week to the woeful Orioles with you-know-who hitting two homers against them Tuesday, need help.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s an ace, a No. 3 starter or a middle reliever, the Yankees need pitching if they want to hang with the Red Sox (64-29), who are on pace to win 111 games.
The Yankees have the sixth-best ERA (3.90) among starters in the AL, and if you take away ace Luis Severino (14-2, 2.12 ERA), their ERA is 4.51, which would be the ninth worst in baseball.
Simply, outside Severino and CC Sabathia (6-4, 3.34 ERA), who turns 38 in two weeks, the Yankees don’t have anyone they can rely upon when they reach the postseason, and they painfully know it.
The Yankees now have the safety net of the wild-card berth, but who wants to stake their entire season on a one-game, wild-card game against the Mariners and James Paxton?
The Yankees have sent an army of scouts to canvass the landscape, with one of the richest farm systems in baseball to spare, but according to club officials and executives familiar with their strategy, they’re having trouble identifying who’s best equipped to get them past the Red Sox.
The Yankees privately say their interest in Machado is overblown. They’d sure love to have him as a free agent this winter, and Machado has told friends the Yankees are easily his first choice, but to grab him now without bolstering their pitching staff makes no sense.
Now, if they need to trade rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar for pitching help and the Yankees need a replacement at third, they’re in. New York conceivably could trade Andujar in a package for Machado, starter Kevin Gausman and closer Zach Britton, but do you really think Orioles owner Peter Angelos could sleep comfortably at night knowing his team could be directly responsible for a potential 28th World Series championship?
Uh, no.
The Yankees could have had Justin Verlander a year ago and passed on Yu Darvish, too, who went to the Dodgers last summer and is now on the disabled list with the Cubs. The Yankees could have had Gerrit Cole during the offseason, but they blinked at the price and watched the Astros swoop in and get the Cy Young candidate.
Their dream would be to get their hands on deGrom, or even Noah Syndergaard, but they don’t believe they’re going anywhere in their talks with the Mets, let alone to the Bronx. The Mets are willing to part with Zack Wheeler, 2-6, 4.42, but he’s hardly the guy who draws fear in October baseball.
Tigers starter Michael Fulmer or Rays starter Chris Archer, whom the Yankees could control through 2021, are atop their wish list after deGrom, but they’re balking at the hefty prospect price tag.
If the Diamondbacks were out of the race, free agent-to-be Patrick Corbin, a New York native, would be the perfect fit. Sorry, the Diamondbacks are in first in the National League West, and Corbin is staying put for the rest of the season.
The Giants have let the Yankees know veteran Jeff Samardzija is available, but he’s owed $46 million and the Yankees fear that their short right-field porch would be a death trap for him.
Rangers veteran Cole Hamels (4-8, 4.28 ERA) is an option, and New York is not on his no-trade list, but he’s owed about $16 million for the rest of the year and his 2019 buyout. But Hamels has given up 23 hits and 14 earned runs in 102⁄3 innings in his past three starts. The Yankees believe he’s much more suited for the NL at this stage of his career.
Really, their best starting option might be Blue Jays veteran J.A. Happ. Yes, the same guy who was torched for six runs and 10 baserunners in 22⁄3 innings when the Yankees last saw him Saturday but who could be a stabilizing force down the stretch.
Happ, 35, not only has vast experience in the AL East but has had plenty of success against the Red Sox, going 7-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 18 games, including a 4-1 record and 3.16 ERA in eight games at Fenway Park.
The Yankees would have to pay only about $6 million on the final year of his contract, give up a mid-range prospect, and Happ is all theirs for the stretch run.
If the Yankees acquire Happ, they would not only still have plenty of money to stay under the $197 million luxury tax, but they’d have plenty of prospects to deepen what’s already the nastiest bullpen in all the land.
They have been heavily scouting Britton or Brad Brach of Baltimore, Raisel Iglessas of Cincinnati and Brad Hand of the Padres. Can you imagine adding one of the trio to go with Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, David Robertson and Dellin Betances?
The Yankees could turn their starters into middle relievers with a dynamic quintet like that sitting in the bullpen.
The Yankees, you can be assured, will have a different pitching staff in three weeks.
Who knows where Machado ultimately winds up before the July 31 deadline — most likely with the Dodgers, Brewers or Diamondbacks — but come April, he’ll be wearing pinstripes.
The way the Yankees envision it, he’ll be on hand watching their World Series ring ceremony, too.