MLB Trade Rumors: New York Yankees interested in Yu Darvish?
By Jason Evans
The New York Yankees could use another starting pitcher. Could Yu Darvish be the answer to their rotation needs?
At last year’s trade deadline, the New York Yankees traded Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for a package of prospects including former first round pick Dillon Tate. This year, it could be the Rangers who end up being a seller and the Yankees being the beneficiary. Oh what a big piece it would be too: Yu Darvish.
"With Yu Darvish starting for the Rangers against the Rays on Friday night, the speculation at Tropicana Field was that with Yankees scout Brandon Duckworth on hand, the Bombers were interested in Darvish."
With Masahiro Tanaka sporting an ERA over 5.00, Michael Pineda out for the remainder of the season with Tommy John surgery and guys like Luis Cessa and Bryan Mitchell starting games in a pennant race isn’t ideal for the Yankees, even with the shutdown bullpen the Yankees possess after their trade earlier in the week.
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The Rangers aren’t exactly out of it. They are 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot themselves, though they sit at three games under .500.
As Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal said in his latest video for Fox Sports, the Rangers would require quite a package for Darvish considering he’s their ace, they have a great relationship with him and want to keep him, they’d lose a draft pick were they to extend him a qualifying offer and lose the exclusive negotiating window before free agency.
With their trade earlier in the week, the New York Yankees have shown they are all in for making a playoff run. Would they be better of using pieces like Jorge Mateo or Domingo Acevedo towards acquiring Sonny Gray, who has multiple years of control, and then going after Darvish in free agency after the off-season? Or should they go after him now and hope they can keep him moving forward?
To me, if Darvish is available, I think they should try it. If Tanaka can straighten out his home run issues, a postseason rotation of Darvish, Tanaka, Luis Severino and CC Sabathia, combined with the offense the Yankees have and the bullpen could net them a championship, even if they don’t end up winning the American League East.
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Even if they don’t, they should be a player for him in the off-season.
This is a question that probably won’t be answered until next week. With eight days to before the deadline, things are starting to get very interesting.