The New York Yankees have been the clear winners of the offseason so far, but the team is far from done. With the Baltimore Orioles ending New York's pursuit of Manny Machado, the Yankees have now turned most of their attention to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole - but a new team could take him away from New York. Here are all the latest Yankees news and rumors you need to know:
Cubs enter Gerrit Cole sweepstakes
New York has been the heavy frontrunner to acquire Cole in a trade, but now, the Chicago Cubs have entered talks with the Pirates about a potential deal, according to Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago.
The two starting pitchers getting the most attention on the trade market are Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole and Rays right-hander Chris Archer, and both are receiving attentions from top clubs like the Yankees and Cubs.
Cole is coming off the worst season of his career — 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA in 33 starts - but has the upside to be a reliable front-end starting pitcher.
New York expressing interest in Yu Darvish
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports the Yankees are seriously considering signing pitcher Yu Darvish. After acquiring Giancarlo Stanton, much of New York's offseason has revolved around signing or trading for a starting pitcher.
The Yankees are currently committed to seven players for an estimated total of $120 million, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Once the eight arbitration players and contract obligations of traded players are added, their projected payroll in 2018 will be near $170 million. With the Competitive Balance Tax Base Tax Threshold set at $197 million for 2018, this means the Yankees can still give Darvish the kind of contract he is seeking.
Darvish went 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 31 starts with the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers last season.
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Yankees to bring back Eduardo Nunez?
Third baseman Eduardo Nunez spent last season with the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox may be heading back to the Bronx.
According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, New York is looking to find a veteran for the middle infield rather than relying on Gleyber Torres and Tyler Wade - which would lead them in the direction of Nunez.
More likely, one of those positions will be manned by someone not currently in the organization. The Yankees expressed interest in the Orioles' Manny Machado and have been in contact with free agent third baseman Todd Frazier. A reunion with Eduardo Nunez is another option.
Nunez played in 114 games last season with a batting line of .313/.341/.460 with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases.
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