The Very Unlikely Yordano Ventura to the Yankees Rumor

Depending on what news site you get your information from and depending on what jersey you wear when you go out to your favorite ballpark to watch your favorite team the Kansas City Royals may or may not have made young right-hander Yordano Ventura available. Ventura has been troubled to say the least in his young major league career and he has caught attention for many on-the-field instances including the 99 MPH fastball that found Mann Machado’s midsection earlier in the week that caused a brawl between the two clubs. Now, again depending on what you read and what you believe, Ventura may be on the trading block. Should the Yankees be interested? Better yet, will they be?

If you look at stats alone you will be left scratching your head wondering why I would even suggest that the Yankees acquire him. In 12 starts this season Ventura has posted a Michael Pineda like 5.32 ERA and is also tied for the AL lead in walks allowed with 35. His stats are not encouraging and he has a temper that has led to enough altercations that the Royals want to trade the 25-year old, why would anyone want him? Because he’s talented and his projections are through the roof, that’s why. Remember, and I’m not comparing the two, the last troubled right-hander that could throw in the triple digits but struggled with command and effectiveness? His name was Nathan Eovaldi and this sounds like a similar situation as far as pitching alone goes.

In the last two years Ventura has won a combined 27 regular season games for the Royals while posting a meager 3.61 ERA which does not include his 10 valuable appearances in the postseason and World Series for the Royals over the past two seasons. This kid is the real deal and he’s battled tested but with all these altercations his trade value and price is at an all-time low, which is also known as a Brian Cashman special around these parts. While the deal makes a lot of sense on paper that is exactly why I think Cashman and the Yankees won’t pull it off, it makes too much sense. It gets the team younger, cheaper, better and ready for the long run rather than the short haul, the ultimate plan in the Bronx, and yet I can’t see the Yankees GM pulling the trigger.

Call me pessimistic but I am using a bit of common sense with a recent history and sample size to come to my conclusion here. Cashman doesn’t like to give up top-tiered prospects and it would take that to land Ventura. He also doesn’t tend to make the blockbuster deal anymore and whoever acquires Ventura is going to receive a blockbuster of talent in return. I just can’t see that talent coming to the Bronx any time soon unfortunately.