Yankees Rumors: Team No Longer In On Pitcher Travis Wood

New York Yankees rumors: After checking in on free agent Travis Wood recently, the Yankees have decided to back out of the running.

New York Yankees rumors have quieted in recent weeks. The Yankees got their heavy lifting in free agency done in the early going. They made their big splash by bringing back Aroldis Chapman early on, in addition to signing veteran Matt Holiday. They made one trade, sending Brian McCann to the Houston Astros.

Since then, they have been relatively quiet. They signed Chris Carter earlier this week to give them another power option at first base, designated hitter, and off the bench. The roster looks like it is set to head into Spring Training, but the Yankees did contemplate some moves recently.

The pitching staff has a ton of question marks for New York. They have very few roles hammered out already. We know Chapman and Dellin Betances will handle late-game duties. Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, and Michael Pineda will fill out the top three spots in the rotation. The situation beyond those five pitchers is fluid right now.

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The Yankees have options to fill out the starting rotation, such as Luis Severino. If he returned to his rookie year performance, the Yankees rotation would look solid. There is no guarantee of that happening, putting Severino into the question mark area. Even Tanaka, Sabathia, and Pineda come with question marks; the only guarantee is that you will see Betances in the eighth inning and Chapman in the ninth inning if the game is close.

Even Tanaka, Sabathia, and Pineda come with question marks; the only guarantee is that you will see Betances in the eighth inning and Chapman in the ninth inning if the game is close.

Because of that, the Yankees had been looking around the free agent market at pitchers. Earlier in the offseason they were checking in on left-handed relievers and veteran help for their starting rotation, namely Jason Hammel. Just last week they were also making a push for Sergio Romo, the former closer of the San Francisco Giants.

None of those rumors came to fruition, so the Yankees checked in elsewhere. This time, they turned their attention to Travis Wood. Wood has spent the past five seasons with the Chicago Cubs, beginning out as a starter before successfully transitioning into the bullpen.

The Yankees reportedly checked in on Wood recently, whose market has picked up steam with Spring Training beginning this week.

The Cubs have offered a contract to Wood according to Ken Rosenthal. There were other teams still in the mix, such as the San Diego Padres and two mystery teams. Many people believed the Yankees could be one of the mystery teams, but they are no longer in the mix, also reported by Rosenthal.

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So, as quickly as the Yankees checked in on Wood, the Yankees backed out of the running. Wood would have been a solid addition to help shore up the back end of their rotation or come out of the bullpen as a swing man. He has shown that he can excel in either role and will be a solid addition to whichever team ends up signing him.

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