The New York Yankees have been very active in the MLB rumor mill in recent weeks, although the offseason as a whole has been relatively uneventful.
Lately, there have been rumblings about the Yankees pursuing starting pitching. While they were involved in the bidding war for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, the team missed out and saw him get traded to the Chicago Cubs instead.
Now, they have been linked to an intriguing veteran free agent starting pitcher.
According to MLB insider Jon Morosi on January 9, New York could be a potential free agency match for veteran starter Lucas Giolito.
“Right now for the New York Yankees, they’re probably looking more for the depth names; names like Lucas Giolito,” Morosi said.
Would This Be the Right Move for the New York Yankees?
Making a move for Giolito would not be the splash addition that many Yankees fans have been hoping to see. Cabrera would have been a much bigger move to make.
That being said, Giolito is a quality pitcher who is coming off of a solid 2025 season.
Throughout the course of the 2025 campaign with the AL East rival Boston Red Sox, Giolito ended up making 26 starts. He compiled a 10-4 record to go along with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, a 2.2 K/BB ratio, and 145 innings pitched.
Adding that kind of quality starting pitching to the rotation would be valuable for New York. Depending on the price tag, he could be a major offseason steal.
Giolito has made 204 starts throughout his career and has appeared in 206 total games. He has a career 71-66 record, a 4.30 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP.
What Else Are the Yankees Trying to Do?
Cody Bellinger is still the biggest target the Yankees are trying to bring back. He has been priority number one since the start of the offseason.
Lately, the two sides have hit a snag in contract negotiations. That snag was detailed by The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty.
“The New York Yankees’ latest multi-year contract offer to free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger featured an average annual value of more than $30 million a year as Bellinger’s camp continued to push for seven years, multiple sources briefed on the ongoing talks told The Athletic on Thursday,” Kuty wrote.
Bringing Bellinger back would be a big boost for New York. Should the Yankees be unable to get a deal done with him, they would need to pivot quickly. Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette have both been talked about as potential targets.
Other pitchers New York have been connected to include Freddy Peralta, Mackenzie Gore, and Mitch Keller. An offseason that finishes by re-signing Bellinger and trading for a quality starter would be a big win for the Yankees.
Whether or not they will be able to accomplish that goal or not remains to be seen. Adding a free agent starter like Giolito would be a step in the right direction, although the big splash fans have been waiting to see would not come from that move.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors about New York as the offseason continues. Giolito is a name worth monitoring as a potential option.
Yankees Linked to Intriguing 71-Win Free Agent Starting Pitcher