Yankees Trade Idea Lands $40 Million Pitcher to Fill Major Need

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Zach Eflin pitching during an August 3 game against the Cleveland Guardians.

The New York Yankees are expected to find pitching help ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and could find some with a division rival.

USA Today insider Bob Nightengale reported in late May that the Yankees were expected to seek home help for their injury-struck starting rotation around the trade deadline, along with some other needs in their lineup.

“The Yankees are aggressively searching for a right-handed bat, preferably a third baseman, while also looking for another starter,” Nightengale wrote.

The Yankees could have the opportunity to address their pitching need with the Baltimore Orioles, the struggling team that could be looking to unload a veteran starter.

Yankees Could Target Veteran Pitcher

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden predicted that the bottom-dwelling Orioles will be sellers at the trade deadline. The Orioles lost ace Corbin Burnes in free agency and watched their best starter, Grayson Rodriguez, head to the IL with elbow inflammation, Bowden wrote.

That leaves the Orioles listening to trade offers on the other pieces in their rotation, Bowden predicted. That includes starter Zach Eflin — along with another potential target.

“Zach Eflin will be a free agent at season’s end, so dealing the righty for prospects and then trying to re-sign him in the offseason probably makes sense,” Bowden wrote. “Also, despite his poor start to the season, if Charlie Morton (6.20 ERA) can put together a string of good outings, he’s another veteran who could be traded.”

Eflin could be an effective addition to the back of the rotation for the Yankees, going 5-2 so far this season with a 4.47 ERA. Eflin is in the final season of his three-year, $40 million contract and could be a top trade piece for the Orioles.

Yankees Getting More Help Soon

The Yankees are already nearing another addition to their starting rotation, with reining AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil nearing his return to the rotation after suffering a high-grade lat strain in spring training.

Gil is nearing the end of his stint on the IL and began throwing this week. Yankees manager Aaron Boone reported that it went well, putting him on track to return early this summer.

“I heard [it was] good,” Boone said, via SI.com. “Another good step for Luis.”

SI.com’s Deliliah Bourque noted that Gil would likely start slow, which could raise the need for a player like Eflin to help fill the void. Gil’s injury was severe and he will need to “compensate for all the training time he lost,” Bourque added.

Boone also cautioned that the recovery will take a long time, even if Gil is on a good track with his recovery efforts.

“It’s still going to be a while,” Boone said. “The good news is he seems to be in a really good spot. He’s responded from this whole rehab process really well. Every step, whether it’s once he started throwing and once he started long tossing, now getting on the mound, it’s gone really well. I know he’s felt really good throughout it, so hopefully that’s a good sign.”

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty