NEW YORK – With Luis Castillo no longer on the Yankees’ board, it’s time for New York to pivot.
Even if the Yankees lost their starting pitcher target before this year’s deadline, there are other talent options available, other ace-caliber arms that could be on the move in the coming days.
Castillo was traded from the Reds to the Mariners on Friday in a deal that includes three of Seattle’s top five prospects. According to MLB reporter Mark Feinsand, the Yankees were “close” in trade talks for Castillo. It seems that Cincinnati was simply blown away by the decisive offer that came from the Mariners.
How could they not be? The Reds got an upside in exchange for their ace, who got an extra year of control after this season, and subsequently set a high bar for starters on the open market ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
So where should the Yankees go from here?
New York cannot throw in the towel after losing the Castillo draw. With Luis Severino on the injured list, Nestor Cortes surpassing his career high in innings and Jameson Taillon struggling in recent months, the Yankees’ starting rotation needs reinforcements.
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The Yankees could go for cheaper options, bolstering the bottom of the roster with reliable arms that can eat up innings. New York is interested in Jose Quintana of the Pirates, a lefty who is having a resurgent season in Pittsburgh. Former Mets ace Noah Syndergaard is also on New York’s radar ahead of the deadline, a right-hander who has shown flashes of his old form with the Angels this year.
Judging by that club’s interest in Castillo, however, New York is aiming to address the top of the rotation, giving ace Gerrit Cole a right-hander for the run and beyond.
With that in mind, here are three of the top starting pitchers that could be traded in the coming days. We know for a fact that the first name listed below is a candidate to be moved. The other two could stay, but would be tremendous adjustments to the stripes if their respective clubs decide to sell before Tuesday.
Three starting pitchers the Yankees could target before the MLB trade deadline
With Luis Castillo no longer available, here are three of the top options the Yankees should pursue before Tuesday’s deadline.
Frankie Montas
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According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post , Frankie Montas is now the Yankees’ top starting target following the Castillo trade.
Montas has been magnificent for the A’s these past few years. After posting a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts last year, the right-hander has pitched to a 3.18 ERA in his first 19 starts this season (with 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings pitched). The 28-year-old has one more year of arbitration in 2023 before he plans to enter free agency.
New York has been linked to Montas since this spring. It will take a pool of potential talent to pry him away from the Athletics, as other contenders are also looking to acquire him, but he’s certainly worth the price of admission.
Pablo Lopez
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After making the postseason during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the Marlins appeared to be scratching the surface of contention, a growing threat in the NL East. Instead, Miami has settled back into sub-.500 mediocrity just a few years later, looking like sellers once again at this year’s deadline.
Heyman reported a few days ago that “everyone not named Sandy Alcantara is available” on Miami’s roster before the deadline.
Does that include their No. 2 starter Pablo Lopez?
According to Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald , the Marlins are “no longer dismissing the calls” they’ve received about Lopez. Joe Frisaro added to The Palm Beach Post that “there is a belief that the Marlins will have a lot of tempting offers for their No. 2 starter,” with teams like the Yankees looking for Lopez during his last outing against the Reds.
Still, there are no guarantees Miami will move the right-hander. He’s only 26 years old and has two more years of control after this season. Not to mention the fact that Lopez is making just $2.5 million this year, one of the biggest deals in baseball considering the numbers he’s been putting up (3.03 ERA in 20 starts).
The reason the Marlins can afford to trade one of their best players is that they have a surplus of pitching in their organization. Trading Lopez would give Miami a chance to bring back some offensive talent while opening up a rotation spot for Jesús Luzardo and Edward Cabrera when they return from the disabled list (and for years to come). Miami’s top two prospects are also starting pitchers (Eury Perez and Max Meyer, who is out for the foreseeable future due to Tommy John surgery).
Again, don’t look at Lopez as fans and pundits examined Castillo’s situation before the deadline. The same for Montas. However, if the Marlins receive an impressive offer with a mix of young big league talent and highly touted prospects, it would be hard for them to say no. Perhaps the Yankees can build a package around players like Estevan Florial or Miguel Andújar who don’t factor into their Major League equation and have shown flashes at this level. However, it would take a lot more than that to do that.
Carlos Rodon
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The Yankees expressed interest in Carlos Rodón this offseason, keeping the lefty in mind as they examine their starting rotation for the 2022 campaign.
Rodón ended up signing with the Giants, a team looking to return to the playoffs after their memorable 107-win season and NL West division title.
This year has been a different story for San Francisco. They sit at 49-51 entering play Saturday, out of the playoff picture in the National League.
ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted earlier this week that the Giants are not selling and that they intend to keep players like Rodón. Heyman followed up with a tweet Saturday saying the Giants are now “listening” to veterans like Rodón and Joc Pederson.
Rodón has an opt-out in his contract at the end of the year and could walk without giving the Giants anything in return. If San Francisco feels they don’t have what it takes to contend in the coming months, they can trade him and bring back talent.
The former White Sox pitcher has a 3.18 ERA over 20 starts with 148 strikeouts this year in a Giants uniform. Rodón ranks among the best in baseball in strikeout rate (90th percentile, striking out 31.4% of batters he’s faced). He also made the All-Star Game this year, his second consecutive season (following a career year with Chicago in 2021).
It’s easy to imagine a pitcher like Rodón fitting into New York’s rotation down the stretch, and you have to imagine the Yankees being one of the teams controlling San Francisco’s situation in the final days before the deadline.
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