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The New York Yankees have already made two trades ahead of the MLB trade deadline. They picked up Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. But the Bombers desperately need pitching, as the injuries keep piling up in the rotation and the bullpen. The Yankees have scouted White Sox starter Adrian Houser ahead of the deadline, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
“The Sox would love a 10th-to-20th-ranked prospect from an opposing organization's farm system for [Houser]; though, teams are likely to lean toward the lower end of that instead of what Chicago prefers, closer to the higher end,” Rogers wrote. “The New York Yankees were among teams scouting Houser this weekend. He pitched another good one against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.”
Houser's season did not start until late May, but he has been excellent in 11 starts. His 2.10 ERA has helped the White Sox win eight of his starts this year on an otherwise brutal team. The 32-year-old will be a free agent at the end of the year, so the time to trade him is now.
The Yankees need to fill out their rotation now before this season slips away. Clarke Schmidt is out for this year and next, Luis Gil has not made a start yet, and Gerrit Cole is out for the year. They have already pushed their chips in with the McMahon trade. With such a need for pitching, they should be willing to give up a prospect for Houser.
The Yankees should be willing to increase the return package for the White Sox to include a relief pitcher in this trade. Lefty Tyler Alexander would be a perfect fit and should not cost them much more. Giving up Henry Lalane, a rookie ball pitcher, should not be a problem for Brian Cashman.
