Could Yankees Trade With Rivals To Land Ace?
After the New York Yankees made a trade to acquire Juan Soto earlier this offseason, all signs were pointing to them being aggressive to build a championship level roster. That’s why they were heavily pursuing Japanese phenom, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, before he ultimately decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees are still seemingly interested in finding another elite starter to pair with reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. They thought that would be Carlos Rodon when they signed him last offseason, but injuries held him to 14 starts and a 3-8 record with an ERA of 6.85.
So, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report put together a trade package that would have New York landing Houston Astros’ ace Framber Valdez. In this deal, the Yankees would give up their No. 3 overall prospect, outfielder Everson Pereira, who played 27 Major League games in 2023, No. 4 prospect and right-handed starter Chase Hampton and No. 5 prospect, shortstop George Lombard Jr. This feels like a hefty price to pay, especially after what they gave up to get Soto. But, with the slugger only under contract for one year before hitting free agency, they might view this as their opportunity to go win a World Series immediately. Valdez would provide that for New York.
They would have one of the best one-two punches in all of baseball and give their rotation a real shot at shutting down opponents in the postseason. After a disappointing year in 2023, the front office has made it clear that they are looking to field a winning team. Making a trade with the Astros to acquire the left-handed ace would certainly help that cause.
