Yankees Potential Trade Partners: St. Louis Cardinals

The New York Yankees need starting pitching this winter and the starting pitching the team presumably wants or needs will not be found on the free agent market. For that reason if we see the Yankees add a starter I believe it will come via the trade market. We've seen plenty of Yankees potential trade targets mentioned on this blog already this winter and this afternoon we add another into the fold, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals have already expressed at least a desire or willingness to deal left-handed starter Jaime Garcia this winter, should the Yankees be interested?

The Cardinals picked up Garcia's $12 million option for the 2017 season presumably looking to deal him for something rather than handing him his $500K buyout and losing him for nothing. The Cardinals made that very clear when they signed him since St. Louis now has at least seven options for the starting rotation when spring training camps open in 2017. At least one pitcher will go and it will likely be Garcia who just finished his eighth season with the Red Birds.

Why do the Cardinals want to trade him instead of any of their other six options? Well his 4.67 ERA wasn't much to write home about in 2016 and neither is his injury history. More on that later though.

Why would the Yankees want to acquire him? Well he doesn't give up home runs (0.79 HR/9 ratio in 2016) which is important inside Yankee Stadium. It's also worth mentioning that Gracia had exactly one more complete game than the entire Yankees staff in 2016 combined, which is easy because the Bronx Bombers pitching staff had zero complete games. Garcia threw 171.1 innings in 2016 and seems to have his shoulder injuries of the past exactly where they belong, the past.

Is Garcia going to be the #2 starter that Michael Pineda should have been? Probably not but on a one-year commitment that can build value for the lefty and possibly get the Yankees a draft pick down the line I don't see a problem with it if the price is right. The price being right is a marginal prospect or two that many fans haven't heard of and a package of a prospect or two from a position of strength from the farm system.

If the deal is right, pull the trigger. If not, on to Plan B.