The New York Yankees have a pitching problem, and it’s not just their bullpen that has struggled as of late, it’s the starters as well. Masahiro Tanaka has lost touch of his renowned splitter, James Paxton has been playing through a knee injury, CC Sabathia has inflammation in his knee, and Domingo German was placed on the 10-day injured list.
Again, the Yankees can’t catch a break with the injury bug, and it may force their hand as we approach the trade deadline. Losing out on former Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel certainly hurt, but rumors have stated the Bombers might be looking into a potential trade for Nationals star pitcher, Max Scherzer.
It’s possible the New York Yankees pursue Scherzer:
Considering the fact that Nationals are sub-.500, it makes sense that they would be open to trading the pitcher. The Yanks have one of the best youth systems in baseball, and they have plenty of resources to push a deal through.
The 12-year veteran is 4-5 on the season but is pitching 2.83 with little run support. Last year, he earned an astounding 18 total wins with a 2.53 ERA. There’s no question he’s a premium talent player, my concern is his price tag.
The Nationals might ask too much from the Yanks for their ace, but it’s coming to a point where the Yankees are losing their leverage as the starting rotation is running thin. It will take several months before the regular starters are back in their normal slots, but it seems as if Brian Cashman believes they can weather the storm.
Theoretically, the Yankees just need to make the playoffs, and they’re seemingly on track at the moment. Not paying top-dollar for a quality pitcher can be justified if they continue to win a majority of games. The problem is – even run support can’t supplement bad pitching at times.