New York Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, has been busy in this final week before the no-waiver trade deadline, acquiring two pitchers to help shore up the Yankees’ struggling situation. First, he got Zach Britton from the Orioles to add depth to the pen and provide a little extra insurance in case Aroldis Chapman struggles or doesn’t quite recover from the nagging injury issues he’s been playing through. Next, he stole J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of pieces that had no place to go in the Yankees organization. Despite adding salary against the cap, the Yankees still have room to deal, and there are players on the market he may still be looking at.
Chris Archer is still on the market despite possibly being the best available combination of talent, salary, and club control. After his last outing, Archer showed he can dominate a lineup still, which is what New York needs. Archer could conceivably be a number three guy in the rotation, particularly when he’s riding a hot streak. Of all the names on the market right now, Archer is the hot property, so the price to acquire him from a talent perspective may be slightly more than Cashman wants to spend right now, especially considering Archer’s price has increased after Cole Hamels was moved to the Cubs.
Yanks have talked to twins about Ervin Santana and others ( #MNTwins also have Lynn, Gibson , Odorizzi)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 26, 2018
Matt Harvey of the Reds and the Twins Ervin Santana are both being shopped around still and would fit the Yankees needs. Harvey likely isn’t going to happen for New York as the Reds appear to be close to a deal with an undisclosed team according to MLB Trade Rumors, but it wasn’t thought Cashman could get Britton from Orioles owner Peter Angelos, so anything is possible. Santana is someone Cashman was working as a contingency deal if he couldn’t land Happ, and while rumors vary, there is talk he never closed that line of communication.
The reason Cashman seems to still have interest in one more starter is that Sonny Gray has struggled in New York. Gray still has value on the trade market, and several teams have expressed interest as it is thought he will do well with a small market team. If Cashman can move Gray, there is a need for one more starter unless he wants to rely on finding one in AAA. Also, even if Gray can’t be moved, the team would be better with a new starter that would allow Gray to be used as a mop-up man.
