The trade market began to heat up on Thursday night, with the Arizona Diamondbacks acquiring A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins. While the Yankees have yet to make a move, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that several teams have expressed interest in Cubs’ right-handed pitcher Jamison Taillon. Notably, the Yankees are among those teams, which also include the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox.
MLB Trade Market Heats Up: Yankees Eyeing Jamison Taillon
Currently, the Cubs are in last place in the NL Central, sitting 11 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. This positioning undoubtedly puts them in sell mode, signaling that they could be looking to move some valuable pieces.
Taillon’s History and Current Performance
Remember, Taillon pitched for the Yankees during the 2021 and 2022 seasons before becoming a free agent. He then signed a four-year, $68 million deal with the Cubs, earning $17 million per season. This contract is quite substantial for a pitcher who posted a 4.84 ERA over 154.1 innings last year.
Now 32 years old, Taillon is having a solid season, boasting a 2.96 ERA over 100.1 innings. However, he is a prime candidate for regression, with a career-low seven strikeouts per nine. His walks have trended in the right direction, allowing only 1.88 per nine innings, but his underlying metrics are concerning. He ranks in the 10th percentile in whiff percentage and has a 3.68 xERA, indicating that the second half of the season may not be as favorable for the veteran starter.
Evaluating Taillon’s Fastball
This season, he’s relying heavily on his fastball, which averages only 92.5 mph and has resulted in a .257 batting average against. However, his .426 slugging percentage is deceptive, with an expected .545 slugging rate. As his fastball velocity has declined, it is likely to yield poorer results moving forward, posing a risky move for the Bombers.
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Financial and Strategic Implications for the Yankees
Not only would acquiring Taillon mean taking on a significant salary for the next two seasons, but he is also far from a World Series-caliber option. If the Yankees were to pursue this trade, it would likely involve swapping salaries to some degree, as it would make little sense to add him to their payroll when they need to conserve financial resources for potential off-season moves, such as re-signing Juan Soto.