The New York Yankees have upgraded their roster this offseason, trading for outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo while also signing Marcus Stroman in free agency. The Yankees' outlook for the 2024 season is hopeful at the moment, but they would benefit from adding one more starting pitcher. What if New York made a bonkers trade to acquire a former Cy Young winning pitcher?
Right now, the Yankees rotation is led by Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young winner. Stroman also joins a rotation that features Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon. Clarke Schmidt is a candidate to be New York's No. 5 pitcher, but the Yankees should look into adding another hurler if possible.
And Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber might solve all of New York's problems. Additionally, Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase would unquestionably strengthen the Yankees' bullpen.
The trade we are proposing today won't be your typical prospects-for-star type of deal. That wouldn't be a bonkers trade after all.
The trade
Yankees acquire: SP Shane Bieber, CP Emmanuel Clase
Guardians acquire: DH Giancarlo Stanton, OF Oswaldo Cabrera, OF Everson Pereira (Yankees No. 3 prospect), C Austin Wells (Yankees No. 7 prospect), cash
I can already hear both fan bases saying they aren't getting enough in this trade. Yankees fans will argue that giving up two of their top 10 prospects along with Stanton and Cabrera for Bieber, who will be a free-agent after the 2024 season, isn't worth it. Meanwhile, Guardians fans won't love the idea of losing their ace and superstar closer regardless of the trade.
Sure, this deal is unlikely to happen, but it actually does make some sense. Of course, the final part of the Guardians' return is important to note. New York would need to send cash to Cleveland (similar to the Colorado Rockies-St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Arenado trade) to help cover Stanton's massive salary.
According to Spotrac, Stanton will make $32 million in 2024 and 2025, $29 million in 2026, $25 million in 2027, and has a $25 million club option for 2028. The Guardians signed Jose Ramirez to the largest deal in franchise history ahead of the 2022 season, a contract that is worth $124 million over five years.
So Cleveland obviously wouldn't want to take on Stanton's contract unless New York helped with paying his salary. So why would the Yankees be willing to pay a significant amount of Stanton's salary to play elsewhere?
Yankees' return, decision to trade Stanton in proposed deal
Stanton did not have a great 2024 season. Although New York's offense struggled in 2023, the lineup has potential with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto leading the charge.
General manager Brian Cashman may be ready for a change. He even admitted early in the offseason that the Yankees are preparing for another Stanton injury in 2024, comments that obviously received backlash.
The Yankees also need pitching, as aforementioned. Yes, Bieber only has one year left on his contract. But he's a capable arm with superstar potential, and New York could sign him to an extension following a trade.
Clase is the difference-maker in the trade. He is the reason New York would send two of their top 10 prospects to Cleveland. Clase has been one of the best closers in baseball over the past few years, and is under contract through 2026 (club options in 2027, 2028).
The Yankees want to win now and making this trade would help them do that. Again, their offense did underperform in 2024 so they would be banking on a bounce-back effort from most of their hitters. New York will find ways to score runs with Judge and Soto in the same lineup, however.
Guardians' return
The Guardians desperately need to add offense. They have emerged as one of the best pitching-developing teams in the sport, so Cleveland should not have much trouble finding a new ace. If Triston McKenzie stays healthy in 2024, he will be an All-Star. Meanwhile, Tanner Bibee earned AL Rookie of the Year consideration in 2023.
Trading Bieber, although he's been terrific for Cleveland, makes sense. The Guardians probably are not going to sign him to an extension, so dealing him away now would allow the Guardians to lose him for something in return. That is a better option than watching him leave in free agency.
Trading Clase, however, is a much more difficult decision since he has multiple years of team control remaining. Cleveland is a franchise that's always focused on its future, though.
Acquiring Stanton may prove to be necessary for a Yankees team that likely would not mind a change. Adding Cabrera, a versatile player with potential, would intrigue the Guardians.
Cleveland has been searching for a star outfielder for a while and Everson Pereira, the Yankees No. 3 prospect, could be a star. He projects to be a power threat from the right-side of the plate.
Acquiring Wells is an interesting move. Wells is the Yankees No. 7 prospect, but he is a catcher. Cleveland already has Bo Naylor, however, who many consider to be the Guardians' catcher of the future.
Adding catching depth is never a bad idea, though. And if both Wells and Naylor emerge as reliable big league players, one of them could end up switching positions.
Could this Yankees-Guardians trade actually come to fruition?
In all reality, the odds of a trade like this actually coming to fruition are slim. There is a lot of moving parts, and trade talks can become complicated when so many stars are involved.
With that being said, it isn't completely out of the question. Cleveland needs offensive upgrades while New York could use pitching help. The trade would set the Yankees up for a strong 2024 campaign while giving the Guardians hope for both 2024 and the future.
Again, I'm not saying this trade is guaranteed to happen. It probably won't. But it is a fun idea and would be a way to add excitement to an MLB offseason that's been slow for the most part.
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