New York Yankees: Yanks should rely on division rivals for pitching help

The New York Yankees are absolutely rolling into the summer months. There is one elephant in the room they need to address though. The Yankees need starting pitching . You might not like how they should get it.

The New York Yankees are a great team this year. Their lineup has the depth that allows Aaron Judge to strike out eight times in a day.

Luis Severino is a bold pick for the AL Cy Young winner up to this point. The middle of the rotation can be reliable on most nights. They are just a little inconsistent.

So, despite being great, they are not perfect. Injuries and lack of depth have blown up the Yankee’ need for a number 4 or 5 pitcher. They need to find a new arm and fast.

But, you don’t need me to tell you that. The bigger question is who can they get. Quite honestly the biggest name floating around is Cole Hamels. But, with Brian Cashman at the helm, the sky is the limit for the Yankees for whom they might get.

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The problem is that the state of the MLB is odd. There are not really a lot of teams that are going to be selling at the deadline. If there are, they might not have much of what the Yankees need.

Sure, the Yankees will just take anyone reliable and healthy but the asking price will be steep they need raw talent.

That is where their fellow AL East rivals come into play. No, it is not ideal to trade with a division rival, in fact, giving prospects to them might be foolish. It’s just the Yankees are running out of trade partners.

The NL West is tight right now. The Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Dodgers are solid enough teams to win that division right now. If they continue that as we roll into July, none of those teams will be sellers but buyers.

The San Diego Padres stink but are not going to be sellers because they are building their young core. That eliminates names like Madison Bumgarner and Patrick Corbin. The Yanks can’t force deals out of them.

The NL Central is the same. Most teams are contending or rebuilding. The pieces just won’t be there.

The NL East is the same. The only two teams that might be sellers in that division are the Mets and the Marlins. The Marlins have done enough for the Yankees and also don’t have much left to give.

As for the Mets, well, we just know that they are not going to give the Yankees any type of priority at the deadline. The Yankees would have to give up too much for the Mets to trade to them.

That leaves the American League. The West always has sellers. The A’s are always giving up players but the Yanks already robbed them of Sonny Gray last year. The rest of that division will be contending or buying. We already talked about the Rangers.

The AL Central is the absolute worst division in baseball. They have the most rebuilding teams in the league. The Royals and Tigers are solid trade opponents but do they really have anyone worth getting? What pitcher is better than what the Yankees already have?

Sure, there are a few but the Yankees need to be careful to not just swap out equal or lesser talent just to do it.

So, despite how it crazy it seems, the Yankees should rely on division rivals as trade partners. They have the best talent available.

The Blue Jays, Rays, and Orioles will all be willing to dispense talent at the deadline. Those teams have no direction right now and will give up current assets for future ones.

The Yankees can try to get guys like Marcus Stroman, Chris Archer, Dylan Bundy (high ceiling), heck, maybe even JA Happ or someone.

The thing is the “never trade with a division partner” is lazy analysis in this instance. The AL East just seems to be the division with the most potential sellers.

Sure it might sting to give some of the best young prospects away to a division foe who they will see year after year but Brian Cashman is a wizard. I’m sure it will work out.

Plus, the Yankees’ prospect pool is just so deep that they can afford to give up a few to help bolster a team ready to win a World Series this year.

The Yankees can also tell you championship by championship why you should trust whatever moves they make.

Next: Yanks need pitching ASAP

So, Yankees, don’t be too scared to make a trade within the division it might be your best bet. More importantly, it seems crazy enough to work.

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