The New York Yankees will be in the market for a starting
pitcher before the July 31st trade deadline comes and goes here in
2018. Now let me preface by saying that this does not necessarily mean the team
will acquire a starter, only that they will be in the discussions for many of
the top available starters this trading deadline. One thing Brian Cashman, the
Yankees GM, has shown though is an unwillingness to “lose” a trade and trade
away top talent just because. Cashman won’t make a deal just for the sake of
making a deal, and that includes any deal that could potentially bring a
starter like Cole Hamels to the Bronx. Hamels is the name I have seen thrown
around the most when discussing who could potentially be on the radar for the
Yankees this winter, but he isn’t the top arm on my radar. While everyone wants
Hamels to be donning pinstripes on August 1st I’d much rather have
Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres personally, but maybe that’s just me.
Ross is set to reach free agency for the first time in his
career after the 2018 season meaning that the right-hander is a true rental for
any team that could potentially acquire him. Where Ross is especially
attractive to the Yankees where Hamels may not be is in the financial
department. Ross is making just $1.7 million this season, which any team who
acquires him would be on the hook for roughly half that with a pro-rated
salary, while Hamels comes attached to not only a $23 million base salary for
the 2018 season (pro-rated to about $12 million for whichever team acquires
him) but the lefty also comes with a $20 million option for the 2019 season as
well with a $6 million buyout.
Ross is 31-years old and has undoubtedly benefited from pitching
in one of the biggest and most spacious ballparks in all of Major League
Baseball. I truly believe if the Yankees were to acquire Ross that they would
not be acquiring the ace that the San Diego Padres may be selling him as, but I
also truly think that Ross could be better than CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray,
Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga.
I am not an expert on the farm system of the San Diego
Padres, but the team seems to be in full rebuild mode meaning they may simply
take the best available package rather than a package heavily weighted towards
a certain position or pitching. The Yankees have plenty to offer in terms of
prospects and I truly believe that the team could acquire Ross for a reasonable
price, maybe a package of Chance Adams and Tyler Wade for example. Ross would
be the better fit in my opinion for the Yankees this season while also giving
the team a sneak peak of his abilities before he hits the free agent market
next season.
I'd rather have a proven lefty (Hamels, if they can figure out the money part of it, or Happ).
ReplyDeleteHapp is going to cost much more than he is worth just because of the whole inter-division thing. That alone will make the trade unlikely, expensive, or both.
DeleteI wouldn't scoff at Hamels, I just prefer Ross to Hamels. Hamels is postseason proven, sure, but his best times in the postseason were 9 and 10 years ago. Plus, I hate the idea of paying him $6 million to go play somewhere else in 2019 or $20 million to play for us.