The New York Yankees have finally started to make some moves in the last few days.
They traded catcher Gary Sanchez and infielder Gio Urshela to the Minnesota Twins in a deal that netted them Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ben Rortvedt.
They also secured the services of first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Tuesday night.
They still need some pitching, though, and are apparently engaged with the Oakland Athletics to see if they can bring in one of their starters.
“Yankees are among the teams talking to the A’s about star young pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. @ByRobertMurray on it,” MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted on Wednesday.
Yankees are among the teams talking to the A’s about star young pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas @ByRobertMurray on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 16, 2022
Behind Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery, there are several question marks around the Yankees’ starters.
Nestor Cortes Jr. never performed as well as he did in 2021, so he needs to prove it wasn’t a fluke.
Jameson Taillon is still rehabbing a foot injury, Domingo German has a shoulder injury, and Luis Severino hasn’t had a full starter’s workload since 2018.
Additionally, Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia can’t be counted on.
The Yankees Should Do Business With Oakland
As a result, either Manaea or Montas would fit in nicely in the Yankees’ pitching staff.
Manaea, a lefty, had a 3.91 ERA (3.66 FIP) in 179.1 frames last year.
He’s 30, so he should still have at least three or four solid years.
Montas, meanwhile, has more upside.
Last year, the right-hander posted a very good 3.37 ERA in 187 innings, and led the A’s in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 4.1.
He will turn 29 in a week, so he remains in his prime.
Montas would be a better addition to the Yankees’ rotation, but either one will make a difference.
The A’s are in rebuilding mode, and the Yankees should pounce.
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