The latest on the Yankees' pursuit of rotation help
MLB.com is keeping track of all the latest Yankees-related free agent and trade rumors right here. The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline is July 30 at 6 p.m. ET.
July 21: Are Yanks open to trading prospect Spencer Jones in a deal for an ace?
The Yankees may be warming to the idea of trading outfield prospect Spencer Jones (MLB Pipeline’s No. 73 overall prospect) if it lands them an ace pitcher at the Trade Deadline.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Bronx Bombers have shown a willingness to include Jones in a trade for White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet or Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal. The 23-year-old outfielder has recorded a troubling 37.1% strikeout rate at Double-A Somerset in 2024, but he’s still highly coveted around the game.
Of course, just because the Yanks might be open to trading Jones doesn’t mean they’re close to a deal for either pitcher. Per Nightengale, the White Sox are holding out for a bigger package for Crochet. Skubal, meanwhile, will likely cost even more to convince the Tigers to move him.
On July 17, MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi said on social media that a Skubal trade "makes sense only if the Tigers obtain multiple players seen as future All-Stars.” Morosi brought up the haul the Nationals got from the Padres for Juan Soto back in 2022 as a comparison.
The Yankees are also exploring less expensive starting pitching targets, with Nightengale reporting that both the Yanks and Red Sox have had talks with the Cubs about Jameson Taillon. The 32-year-old, who owns a sparkling 3.10 ERA over 93 innings in 2024, pitched for the Yankees for two years before signing a four-year, $68 million deal with the Cubs after the 2022 campaign.
The rotation didn’t look like it was going to be a major area of need for the Yankees at this year’s Trade Deadline, but it has become one over the past six weeks. Yankees starting pitchers had the second-best ERA (2.79) in MLB through June 12, but they’ve posted MLB’s worst ERA (6.02) since.
July 11: Yankees in the mix for Jazz Chisholm Jr.?
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees have had discussions about acquiring center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins. Miami entered play on Thursday with a 32-60 record, and is heavily expected to be deadline sellers, something it already got a head-start on by sending Luis Arraez to the Padres in May.
As for where Chisholm would fit in the Yankees lineup, Heyman reported that it would likely come in the infield, given that New York possesses a star-studded outfield of Alex Verdugo-Aaron Judge-Juan Soto, while the team's infield has no players with at least a .690 OPS entering Thursday (min. 100 plate appearances). This should be no problem for Chisholm, given that he spent his first three MLB seasons as a second baseman, including his lone All-Star season in 2022.
In addition to the Yankees, Heyman reported that the AL West-leading Mariners are another possible landing spot for Chisholm.