The last time the Yankees competed with the Phillies for a top-flight starting pitcher, Cliff Lee went to Philadelphia for an inferior financial package in December 2010.
The last time the Nationals pursued a top-flight starting pitcher, the Yankees sat on the sidelines, working to lower their payroll, as Max Scherzer took his considerable talents to Washington in January 2015.
Soon, it seems, the Yankees will find out if they can finally win one of these Acela arms battles.
The industrywide expectation is that left-hander Patrick Corbin, after touring the locales of his apparent top three suitors last week, will make his decision shortly as Fancred’s Jon Heyman reported.