The New York Yankees have gone to Carlsbad, Calif., to mine for arms.
The starting pitching options the Yankees have targeted at the outset of the 2018 Major League Baseball general managers’ meetings include the Cleveland Indians’ Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco and the Seattle Mariners’ James Paxton, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
The Yankees might attempt to engage in trade talks with the Indians and Mariners in an effort to bolster their rotation. Kluber won the American League’s Cy Young Award in 2014 and 2017 and is a finalist for the honor in 2018. Carrasco has won 35 games and posted an ERA of 3.33 over the last two seasons.
Cleveland reportedly is willing to consider trade offers for almost all of its players. Carrasco and are on team-friendly contracts, around which the Yankees likely are keen to restructure their starting pitching rotation.
The Mariners reportedly are mulling undergoing a massive rebuild, under which Paxton, who went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 160.1 innings and isn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2021, could exit the Pacific Northwest via trade.
The Yankees also are likely to pursue the signature of durable left-hander Patrick Corbin, who is all but certain to leave the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency, and try to re-sign free agents J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia.
The coming days and weeks should be busy, and possibly fruitful, in the Big Apple.
