The Yankees should trade for Chris Archer.
He'd look great in pinstripes, wouldn't he?
With that said, I don't believe the Yankees will strike a deal with Tampa to acquire Archer. It's not that we wouldn't be able to put together a package of players good enough to do so, I just don't see a deal that big happening between division opponents.
I had the same thought when there was talk of Baltimore trading Manny Machado during the offseason.
Even though I highly doubt either the Rays nor Orioles will compete for the AL East crown this season, I'm sure there are teams outside of the division... heck, outside of the American League... that could put a package of players together impressive enough to deal for Archer.
So while I don't believe the Yankees and Rays will get together and make a deal involving Chris Archer, I'm 99.9% certain that before August roles around the Yankees will trade for a big-time starter.
You remember when the Yankees dealt for Sonny Gray last season? Yeah... what's to come will be bigger than that.
One name that's been throw out there a bunch of times is Cole Hamels. The club option on Hamels' contract could become guaranteed, however he'd not only have to avoid the disabled list with either shoulder or elbow trouble at the end of the season, Cole would also have to throw 252 innings as well. Yeah... that's not happening. So knowing that Texas is unlikely to be a contender in a division including the Astros and Angels, and Cole's contract ends after this season, dealing away Hamels is almost a certainty.
But if what we've seen from Brian Cashman recently holds true, he's not going to trade away good to great prospects to rent a player for half a season. Brian is going to trade for somebody as good as Cole, if not better, who is also under team control for at least another year.
Let's start by looking at a list of players that could be traded...
Gleyber Torres - Honestly, I find this unlikely. Neil Walker was only signed for one year, so Torres still has a path to MLB for next season. But keep in mind that the possibility isn't zero.
Justus Sheffield - Another unlikely option, but an option none-the-less. The guy the Yankees trade for may very well be the pitcher some envision Sheffield could become. The only difference is the guy the Yankees trade for would be a year or two ahead of Justus, and already getting it done in the big leagues.
Miguel Andujar - I can see the Yankees extending the 28 year-old Didi Gregorius for two to three more years, locking up shortstop through the 2021 season. Add Gregorius with Brandon Drury (not a free agent until after the 2021 season), Gleyber Torres, and Tyler Wade, and that doesn't leave a clear spot for Miguel to get promoted into. Plus there's another guy, but I'll talk about him in a moment.
Estevan Florial - Another player I don't believe Cashman wants to part with, as he could be the heir apparent to center field and the leadoff spot in the lineup, but a possibility still. After all, Estevan may only play part of this season above A ball. And being that far away from Major League Baseball means he's far from a sure bet.
Chance Adams and Dillon Tate - While they aren't as highly touted as Justus Sheffield, both of these guys have high value, especially thanks to them being ready to step into a MLB starting rotation this year or next. And with Sheffield and the next guy I'm going to list around, neither man seems to have a clear path to a starting gig with the Yankees.
Albert Abreu - Albert may be two to three years away from the Majors, possibly making his loss more palatable than pitchers like Adams, Sheffield, and Tate. But a team looking to compete in two to three years would love to have a pitching prospect the caliber of Abreu.
Tyler Wade - Wade has shown during Spring Training that he's ready to start at the MLB level right now. Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen, at least regularly, on Opening Day. And it may never happen with the Yankees thanks to Gregorius, Drury, Walker, and Torres. Even a spot on the bench isn't certain due to Ronald Torreyes.
Thairo Estrada - There are many people, both in the organization and it's fanbase, that would hate to see Estrada dealt away. But he's in a similar situation as Tyler Wade... he has no clear spot to be promoted into.
The only two players out of those I just listed that are likely to still be with the organization after the trade deadline are Torres and Sheffield. No... they won't be the only ones, it's just that the other six could be elsewhere.
And let's not forget that Brian Cashman may absolutely love Manny Machado (the guy I was referring to when speaking of Miguel Andujar), and has already put together a contract to offer Manny as soon as Game 7 of the World Series is over with.
The point is the Yankees can very easily put together a package of players that can't be matched. The Padres, White Sox, and Braves systems may be better, but they don't have a young core like the Yankees have with Judge, Sanchez, Bird, and Severino. Oh, and they don't have a Giancarlo Stanton, either. So, unlike the Yankees, those other teams need to keep some of the big prospects they have.
Oh... and money. Those other three teams don't have the ability to buy players like the Yankees do.
So you may be able to cross off great young pitchers from contenders like the Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Nationals, Cubs, and Dodgers. And you can probably cross off great young starters from the rest of the teams in the American League East. But it's likely that any other pitcher in Major League Baseball is in play.
Anyone.
So I'm not going to give you a list of targets, because the fact is that list is way too large. Just imagine a great young starter from any team not listed above, and smile because they could be on their way to the Bronx soon.