The New York Yankees now have the best bullpen in baseball after their blockbuster deal with the Chicago White Sox. With Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and even guys like Chad Green and Adam Warren, the Yankees are loaded. But Ken Rosenthal has another idea for the Yankees: trading Betances to help fill the club's starting pitching need.
Rosenthal speculates that because the Yankees are now so strong in the backend, they could deal Betances and still be better off than they were before the White Sox deal. Plus, if the Yankees remain adamant about not dealing any more of the top prospects, how else will they be able to land a starter?
"My initial reaction was wow, the Yankees are building a super bullpen," Rosenthal writes. "And that might very well be the extent of it. But they still need a starting pitcher, preferably one that they could retain beyond this season ... Maybe they could land Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray in a three-team trade, or pull off a similarly creative move. The Dodgers badly want another late-inning reliever. The Rockies, Nationals, Cardinals and Brewers are among the other teams that could use Betances. Heck, every contender could. The Yankees need not to trade Betances right away – they could wait until the off-season, when the same possibilities would be in play. But they’ve got the option now. And it’s an interesting option indeed."
Rosenthal also mentions that Betances could fetch a similar caliber of return that Andrew Miller did, although not for prospects and probably not quite as much. After all, Betances is under team control for three more years (including this one) and is cheaper than Miller.
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And there's no doubt the Yankees need pitching this year and in future years. Michael Pineda is out with Tommy John surgery, Masahiro Tanaka continues to struggle and C.C. Sabathia is about to turn 37. Betances has been great this year, save for a handful of rough outings. But if the Yankees could get a pitcher like Gray for the cost of Betances, it's at least worth considering.
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