The New York Yankees have already made two trades with National League clubs, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday and utility infielder Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
With less than four days until this year’s Major League Baseball trade deadline, the Yankees can now pivot to their starting rotation and bullpen, seeking additions that will help them address their mid-season struggles and push them deep into the postseason.
The Arizona Diamondbacks proclaimed themselves sellers when they dealt first baseman Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a pair of prospects, and more players from their roster could be wearing different uniforms before the end of the week.
Yankees Tabbed as Best Landing Spot for Zac Gallen
Starting pitcher Zac Gallen, an All-Star in 2023, is not performing up to his usual standards this season. Gallen’s 79 earned runs in 127 innings lead MLB, and his 23 home runs allowed are a season high for National League pitchers.
As an impending free agent, Gallen should receive a decent amount of interest in the trade market, and it appears Arizona is open to business.
“His [Gallen’s] 5.58 ERA ranks ahead of only Alcantara among qualified pitchers. He also leads the National League with 23 home runs allowed, so this isn’t a case of a talented pitcher getting BABIP’d into oblivion,” Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer wrote last Friday.
“Simply to this extent, Gallen just plain feels like the kind of guy who would be transformed after putting on pinstripes. And given how many injuries have decimated their rotation after Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, maybe that much more so if he felt called upon to be a savior.”
At the beginning of July, the New York Yankees lost Clarke Schmidt for the season due to Tommy John Surgery. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, is on a rehab assignment but has yet to throw a pitch for New York this season due to a lat strain.
In addition, given Will Warren and Marcus Stroman’s inconsistencies, it would not be a surprise if the Yankees decided to take a chance on Gallen for the second half of the regular season. He finished third in the NL Cy Young Voting in 2023 and led MLB pitchers in hits allowed per nine innings one season prior, with 5.9.
Is Zac Gallen’s Cost Too High?
Gallen’s mediocre results this season may indicate what kind of return the Diamondbacks would receive from the New York Yankees.
“Though plenty of names have popped up in trade rumors recently, it’s unclear if some of them are actually available,” wrote Rymer about the state of the deadline in the starting pitching market. “In other cases, there’s a disconnect between a given pitcher’s name value and his actual value.”
This year, Gallen’s name value is higher than his actual value, especially since he becomes a free agent after the season. The Yankees may prefer to keep young starter Cam Schlittler, who throws his fastball upwards of 100 mph and has impressed the organization in his first two starts.
Perhaps there are other pitchers on the Yankees’ top 30 prospect list that Ariona sees potential in the future.
Yankees Named as Best Trade Fit for Diamondbacks’ All-Star