It is no secret that the New York Yankees need a starting pitcher.
Clarke Schmidt is headed for Tommy John surgery, joining ace Gerrit Cole on the shelf for the foreseeable future. The Yankees will have a tough time repeating as American League champions without them, and their pursuit of a starting pitcher should intensify as we near the trade deadline.
There is one new name circulating league circles that would be a great fit in New York.
The Twins Situation
MLB Insider Jon Morosi said that Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan is being monitored by “a number of teams,” including the Boston Red Sox, as a potential trade acquisition.
Ryan, 29, is having his best campaign as a Big Leaguer. Through 17 starts, he is 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA, a 3.25 FIP, and 116 strikeouts to 21 walks over 104 and 1/3 innings. He also leads the American League with 10 hit batters.
The Twins avoided arbitration with a $3 million agreement — which looks like a steal — and Ryan still has two years left of team control before hitting free agency in 2028.
Minnesota has no responsibility to trade him, nor should it, given its already thin staff beyond Ryan and Pablo López. But, the Twins are also 44-47 and have almost no chance of catching the 59-34 Detroit Tigers for the AL Central. The AL Wild Card race remains crowded, too.
There is still plenty of baseball left this summer, and a hot stretch by Minnesota would ease any of these Ryan trade rumors. But the deadline is approaching, and it will need to make a decision sooner rather than later.
The Yankees Angle
General manager Brian Cashman recently said, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, that “We’re going to go to town. We’re going to do everything we possibly can to improve ourselves and try to match up.”
Cashman has historically not been the biggest deadline buyer, but this is a flawed team in need of a third baseman, at least another starting pitcher, and a couple of bullpen arms wouldn’t hurt, either.
He will be hard-pressed to satisfy all of those holes, but Ryan would be a step in the right direction.
Cole and Schmidt are not coming back in 2025. Luis Gil should return in a month or so, but he has a laundry list of injury history and is far from the New York Yankees’ most reliable arm. Adding Ryan, who would slot in nicely behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, along with Gil, would give the Yankees a formidable postseason rotation.
They need to make it there first, of course, but this recent slump feels more like a summer lull than a permanent hindrance.
Cashman would have to sacrifice a heavy package for someone of Ryan’s caliber, given his age, production, and the “number of teams” vying for him.
OF Spencer Jones (No. 2) is too valuable an asset even for an immediate contributor like Ryan, but perhaps a package of RHP Chase Hampton (No. 7) and LHP Brock Selvidge (No. 8) could get it done.
The Minnesota Twins would have to signal a full rebuild, and replenishing their farm with highly-regarded arms is not the worst course. The Yankees have also become a bit of a catcher factory, and could dangle an Edgleen Perez (No. 11) or a Rafael Flores (No. 15) as sweeteners.
If the price is right, New York should do everything it can to acquire Ryan.
Yankees Trade Idea Lands 2.76 ERA Starter