The New York Yankees are looking to upgrade their starting rotation with top-tier pitcher and have their sights set on a number of players who are available.
However, Sonny Gray continues to be New York's top target and the Yankees will likely have to give up prospect Estevan Florial in order to get him, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Source: In Sonny Gray talks, #Athletics prioritizing young center fielders. They have interest in #Yankees prospect Estevan Florial. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 25, 2017
Florial is batting .293 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 80 games with Single-A Charleston so far this season.
Another pitcher who has become very available is Justin Verlander, as Detroit is aggressively shopping him to get his contract off the books. New York has previously expressed interest in him and ESPN's Buster Posey speculates that the Yankees could give up Jacoby Ellsbury and a prospect to land him.
[Verlander] is owed about $68 million for the rest of this year and for the next two seasons, and a lot of teams find Verlander's contract to be outsized. The Yankees could ask the Tigers to take on Ellsbury and at least a portion of his deal to help make the finances work for them.
Verlander does have a full no-trade clause, meaning he could veto any trade, and is under contract for $28 million per year through 2019. His contract also includes a $22 million vesting option for 2020 if he finishes in the top five in the 2019 Cy Young voting.
Verlander is 5-7 with a 4.50 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 21 starts this season.
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