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The New York Yankees are desperately searching for some pitching, ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline. New York is linked to Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller and Washington Nationals hurler MacKenzie Gore, per an ESPN report.
“The Yankees want a starting pitcher and Keller, while not the best starter seemingly available, would be a solid addition to a depleted rotation. The veteran right-hander is so far having the best season of his career, with a 3.69 ERA over 127 innings,” Jorge Castillo wrote. “Furthermore, he is under contract for another three seasons for a sensible $55.7 million and the Yankees strongly prefer trading for non-rental players. Last year, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. fell into that bucket. And last week, they acquired Ryan McMahon, who is under contract through 2027.”
Keller has long been linked to the Yankees. The Pirates are dead last in the National League Central this year, with a 45-62 record. The Yankees are also reportedly looking at some of Pittsburgh's relievers, including David Bednar.
Both Keller and Gore are on bad teams right now. Gore has a 3.52 ERA for a Nationals team struggling with a 44-62 record. He has posted four victories this year for Washington.
The Yankees are struggling to keep up in the American League East
The Bronx Bombers have floundered in recent weeks. New York has been smacked by a series of injuries to their starting rotation this year. Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole are both done for the year, and even new addition Max Fried has had some medical problems.
As a result, New York has lost their lead in the American League East. The Yankees are currently second in the division, with a 57-49 record. New York has just four victories in their last 10 games.
The Yankees have been busy buying before the trade deadline. New York brought in infielder Ryan McMahon, who previously played for the Colorado Rockies. The Bronx Bombers also added utility player Amed Rosario.
Yankees management feels the team continues to need help, in all sorts of areas.
“The Yankees continue to work on adding bullpen help, according to rival evaluators, and they have talked with other teams about right-handed-hitting outfielders,” Buster Olney wrote for ESPN. “Former Yankee Harrison Bader is among those discussed, as well as White Sox outfielder Austin Slater. The Yankees' bullpen has been the weakest part of the team this year, and they will be among the contenders likely to add relief before the deadline.”
The MLB trade deadline is July 31. Time will soon tell if the Yankees are able to add a few more hurlers to the rotation. New York plays the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
