The Yankees have bolstered their rotation by acquiring James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners. Does this now take them out of the running for Patrick Corbin?
Monday night, the New York Yankees shocked the baseball world by acquiring James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for three prospects. While analysis of the deal has been done several times over, it’s perhaps even more important to assess the future implications of this blockbuster.
Prior to Monday night, the Yankees were chiefly interested in starting pitching, with Paxton’s acquisition addressing that need admirably. They’d also previously been connected, with varying levels of severity, to J.A. Happ, Dallas Keuchel, and the prized possession of this year’s free agent pitching class, left-hander Patrick Corbin.
The team now arguably needs only one pitcher to complete the starting rotation. With Paxton added to the mix, are the Yankees out of the running for Corbin’s services? At first glance, it wouldn’t appear that way.
According to Andy Martino of Sportsnet New York, the Yankees likely aren’t done adding starters, with Corbin still, per his sources, being mentioned in the team’s search. Happ and Keuchel remain relevant.
In the same train of thought, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Yanks are, even after the trade with Seattle, genuinely interested in signing Corbin. Buster Olney of ESPN and Dan Martin of the New York Post report similarly, further reinforcing the ties.
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Now, it’s far from a sure thing that the Yankees will indeed be strong players for Corbin, especially given his robust early market. Morosi himself reported that the Phillies, along with the Nationals, are also looking into Corbin. If that is indeed the case, then Corbin’s market, as predicted, stretches far beyond just large players like the Yankees.
Still, with the Yanks being one of only a handful of teams explicitly mentioned to be in the hunt for Corbin, it’s certainly conceivable that they’ll try and sign him. Whether they have enough space and allocated funds are entirely separate issues, though it’d be hard to imagine Cashman and the Yankees front office being strapped for cash.
If they do go after Corbin, the best arm available, it’ll make the already dominant Yankees seem like an even more daunting presence in the discretely stacked American League East. While it’s impossible to know whether or not the Yankees’ war room is eyeing Corbin in particular, it’s easy to see why they would.
Regardless, the aforementioned Happ, along Keuchel, could be serviceable, if not splendid options to fill the void in the rotation. After it’s all said and done, the Yankees shouldn’t, if Brian Cashman is to be believed, be staying quiet the remainder of the offseason.