Yankees Early Trade Target: Starting Pitching

With the Yankees’ biggest in-season need easily identified, I won’t understand if they wait until July to make a significant trade. The starting pitchers available via trade are already clear so why not go get one now? I already hear you if you’re going to tell me the starting rotation is full. True, the Yankees have enough options to make sure all their starters are on full five days rest, but is that good enough?

Once you get past Luis Severino, who should the Yankees have a high level of confidence in to make a big start in the postseason? My only answer there is Masahiro Tanaka and we know how streaky he can be. Some of the trade deadline options are already clear and so the first couple of questions the Yankees need to answer is: how big of a splash do you want to make and with which prospects are you willing to part?

Chris Archer and Cole Hamels are the immediate options. The Rays and Rangers are going nowhere so why wait until more bidders become present closer to the trade deadline? Archer will cost you more than Hamels but he’s also a longer term solution in the starting rotation. I don’t love the idea of unloading, let’s say, three of the Yankees’ top 10 prospects, but for as young as this team is in many spots, it would be a real disappointment to fall short of reaching the World Series this year and pitching is the Yankees biggest deficiency.