As the July 31 trade deadline creeps up on the New York Yankees, the pressures of finding a starting pitcher are increasing dramatically. The last decent start for the Bombers was on Sunday by CC Sabathia, but he’s since been placed on the 10-day injured list.
With the Blue Jays trading ace Marcus Stroman, the market for quality pitchers took a small hit, but there are still plenty of avenues the Yankees can explore.
One remaining target is Diamondbacks’, Zack Greinke. The 2009 CY Young award winner is having a vintage season. The righty holds a 10-4 record and a 2.87 ERA in 22 starts, and 141 innings pitched. The fact is, Greinke is one of the more consistent pitchers in the league, and that reality alone should make him a top target for the Yanks.
In the last two seasons, he’s eclipsed 200 innings while posting ERAs of 3.20 and 3.21, respectively.
Adding the likes, Greinke would immediately help a struggling rotation that’s littered with inefficient pitchers. After robust campaigns from both James Paxton and J.A. Happ in 2018, nobody expects them to regress to this point.
However, the Yankees would have to give up valuable assets in a Greinke-centric deal. Players such as Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, and Clint Frazier would all have to be on the table if the Yankees even want to approach the Diamondbacks with an offer.
What issue would the New York Yankees face?
In the scenario that the Bombers do acquire Greinke, they would be on the hook for his massive contract. Earning a six-year, $206.5 million contracts in 2015, Zack is still owed $31.5 million this season, plus $32 million in 2020 and 21′. Committing to that type of salary requires some caution, as he’s heading into the back-half of his career and could see a drop-off. However, two more seasons shouldn’t see him degrade that much, and joining a contender might fuel him even further.