New York Yankees Rumors 2017: Yankees Interested In Pirates’ Gerrit Cole, White Sox José Quintana?


The New York Yankees are red hot, but is their great start to the 2017 MLB season an aberration or the real thing? With the first month of the MLB season in the books, many teams are already in the early stages of assessing which way they are going to go in terms of being buyers or sellers by the All-Star break.

Now, that being said, it is way too early for any team to throw in the towel on the 2017 MLB season, or believe that they are postseason bound. However, with the 40-game mark right around the corner, which has always been symbolic of judging a team’s possible worth for the season, it is time for squads that are off to a good start to start thinking about a possible early season move or two.

Gerrit Cole #45 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches to Jedd Gyorko #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals. [Image by Jeff Curry/Getty Images]

With the quick start that the New York Yankees are off to, they must be thinking that this could be the season they make a run towards the fall classic. The Yankees currently have a great mix of youngsters and veterans. However, adding a good arm or two never hurts.

With all kinds of rumors circulating over the past few months that New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was very interested in striking a deal for Chicago White Sox ace Jose Quintana, it has fans in the Bronx wondering if that deal could resurface or a possible new deal could come about.

If New York is still in the market for a top-end starter this July, could they be looking towards the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Gerrit Cole?

According to a Bronx Pinstripes report, Cole could be on the New York Yankees’ radar. In 2008, the Yankees drafted Cole as the 28th overall pick in the June Amateur Draft, but when the 17-year-old elected to play at UCLA, where he stayed for three years, he was placed back into the draft rotation. The Pirates later selected him first overall in 2011.

So, is Cole this year’s version of Quintana in the fact that the Yankees could express some serious interest this summer in acquiring the right-handed stud for the Bucs?

John Harper of the NY Daily News believes that Cole could and should be on the Yankees wish list.

“It’s too early for either team to seriously consider such a move just yet. The Yankees need to continue mashing, establishing themselves as serious contenders to the point where it would be worth taking a big chunk out of the farm system for the right pitcher. And the Pirates have to be far enough out of contention in another month or two to be convinced they do need a rebuild. But sooner or later they’re almost certainly trading Cole, an elite power pitcher who will be a free agent after the 2019 season, because they won’t be able to afford to sign him. So the question is when.”

Cole is only 26-years-old and has a lot of upside, and he definitely has pitched better than his record over the past two season indicates. Cole is off to a 1-3 start this season and has an 8-13 combined mark over the past two seasons. However, in 2015, Cole finished 198-8 and was one of the best pitchers in the big leagues.

Are the New York Yankees still eyeing Jose Quintana? [Image by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images]

If Pittsburgh is still struggling in late June, Gerrit Cole could be one of the first pieces the Pirates start to dangle out as trade bait, especially considering Cole may be looking for a big payday very soon.

Also, don’t think that the Quintana Yankees rumors will go away this summer either.

Right now, the White Sox are playing great ball, especially considering they lost Chris Sale and Adam Eaton last offseason. If the White Sox start to stumble this summer, those rumors may heat up again. In fact, it was just a few weeks ago that iSports Times indicated that the Yankees still have an interest in the left-hander.

If the New York Yankees do happen to add one of these two pitchers to their staff this summer, they will be a serious contender for the MLB American League Pennant this fall.

[Featured Image by Joe Sargent/Getty Images]

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