The New York Yankees could look to make a big move to further bolster their pitching staff.
New York has some intriguing trade chips, and MLB analyst Thomas Carelli of SI proposed a mock trade that sees the Yankees acquiring George Kirby from the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster deal.
Yankees acquire:
Mariners acquire:
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as the Yankees would acquire another star pitcher to bolster the rotation. Seattle, meanwhile, gets Dominguez, who is a top outfield prospect, a young starter in Warren, and a utility player in Cabrera, and all three can help the MLB roster out this season.
The Yankees would acquire Kirby, who was an All-Star in 2023. The right-hander is set to earn $6.5 million in 2026 and is under team control through the 2028 season. Kirby would be a solid No. 3 or No. 4 starter for the Yankees behind Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Gerrit Cole. He went 10-8 with a 4.21 ERA in 23 games last season.
In return, the Yankees would give up Dominguez, who’s New York’s top trade chip, as his path to playing time is blocked. The 23-year-old hit .257 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs with the Yankees last season, and he could start in left field for the Mariners and give the team another bat. He’s under team control through the 2030 MLB season.
Warren, meanwhile, would be a solid fifth starter for the Mariners. The 26-year-old went 9-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 33 games and can be a key starter for Seattle for years to come.
The final piece is Cabrera, who’s a utility bench player who gives Seattle some versatility.
Analyst Explains Yankees-Mariners Swap
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster, and it is one that does make sense for both sides.
Seattle gets three assets, with Warren and Dominguez being impact players for years to come, while New York goes all-in to win now. Carelli believes it’s a deal that the Yankees would make to bolster their rotation.
“The Yankees have a volatile rotation. Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers can be great; however, they can also become the opposite — bad. Kirby would be a top-2 or 3 player in most MLB rotations,” Carelli wrote.
“The Mariners have him as their borderline 4th. Kirby can be bought low to add solidification to a Yankees rotation that faces many questions about the returns of Rodon and Cole. Both teams here have expendable assets they can use to help each other fill those gaps on their championship-aspiring rosters. Supply and demand at its finest.”
The analyst, meanwhile, believes Seattle would sell high on Kirby and fill a position of need while also adding a solid young depth starter to replace him.
Dominguez Won’t Make New York’s Roster
Dominguez is set to be optioned to Triple-A as he won’t make the team’s Opening Day roster.
New York’s outfield is set with Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Aaron Judge, with Randal Grichuk expected to be the fourth outfielder. So, Dominguez is expected to be optioned. General manager Brian Cashman said they want him to be playing every day.
“I would concede it’s in his best interest to be getting everyday reps,” Cashman said. “We’ll just have to wait and see how the spring shakes out. Who’s standing. And then we’ll make the appropriate decisions when we have our meetings close to the end of camp. … There’s flexibility in the roster with a lot of players that we can do a lot of different things with. Whether they’re going north with us or going to Triple A.”
Dominguez will join Spencer Jones in Triple-A.
Trade Pitch Sees Yankees Acquiring All-Star Pitcher in 4-Player Blockbuster