The New York Yankees might have missed out on Shohei Ohtani, but that's not stopping the team from acquiring a new star for their rotation. Last season's deminse was due in large part to the team's underperforming starting rotation. Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole was the lone bright spot in a season full of injuries and underwhelming play from his fellow starting pitchers.

It's no wonder the Yankees are interested in one of the top pitching stars today in Dylan Cease. However, Cease is not a free agent, so they'll have to organize a trade with the Chicago White Sox for the star. You have to wonder: why won't New York go for one of the free agent pitchers instead, such as Blake Snell? Well, Bob Nightengale talked about one reason why.

“The Yankees say they will not consider a short-term deal or early opt-outs with Snell because of a luxury-tax surcharge. They offered a five-year, $150 million contract for Snell in January but there was no counter-offer. If the Yankees signed Snell, they would be taxed at 110% while also losing two draft picks.”

So, that means that the Cease trade is a go, yes? Well, not quite. See, the Yankees and the White Sox can't quite agree on the details of a Dylan Cease trade. It's all due to one player: Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones.

“The New York Yankees would prefer to trade for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease instead of signing free agent Blake Snell, but they are at a standstill with the White Sox. They refuse to part with top outfield prospect Spencer Jones in any package for Cease while the White Sox are insisting on him.”

The Yankees would prefer if they could acquire Cease without digging into their pool of prospects. They don't want to use up arguably their best asset for what could just be a couple of years of pitching. Still, if New York really wants Cease (or wants to upgrade the roster without Snell and the contract complications he brings), they'd be wise to give the White Sox what they want.