The New York Yankees are scouring the trade market and evaluating internal options to find an Opening Day replacement for ace Gerrit Cole, who has suffered an apparent injury in his pitching elbow following brief throwing sessions this spring.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported that the team is reengaging the Chicago White Sox on a potential trade for ace Dylan Cease, but the two sides have been unable to agree on terms thus far. Projecting other “emergency Gerrit Cole rotation replacements” for FanSided, Josh Wilson wrote that the team could turn to a trade with the Cleveland Guardians for two-time All Star Shane Bieber.
“Now, with New York potentially desperate to get a reliable arm in its rotation to backfill, perhaps they offer up prospects that make the price worth it for Cleveland,” Wilson predicted.
Are the Cleveland Guardians Prepared to Trade Shane Bieber to the New York Yankees?
The Guardians had been seen as sellers on Bieber, as he is poised to hit free agency at the end of the season and projected to earn a deal in the range of $95 million over five years, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic. MLB insider Jon Heyman noted that Cleveland has “a chance to win the AL Central” in 2024 and that a trade for Bieber could be unlikely as a result, but new desperation from the Yankees might change that.
“It appears that the Guardians, at the very least, tested the market,” Wilson reported. “A possible read on the storyline is that the Guardians sent feelers out on Bieber, didn’t like the price, and promptly took him off the market again.”
As Nightengale has reported, a sticking point in attempts to acquire Cease has been the Yankees’ unwillingness to part with number-two prospect Spencer Jones. If Bieber can be had for a package that excludes him, a deal with the Guardians might be more likely.
Shane Bieber Can Bolster the New York Yankees Rotation Without Gerrit Cole
Bieber has faded somewhat from a 2020 season that saw him win the MLB pitching triple crown by leading the big leagues in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He also took home the Cy Young Award and All-MLB first team honors that season. In 2023, however, his ERA rose to 3.80 and he pitched for the fewest strikeouts of his career with 107.
That production still puts him on par with Cease, though Cease may be more valuable as he is due just $8 million in 2024 and has another year of club control ahead. Bieber is set to earn $13.125 million next season before hitting unrestricted free agency.
But if the Yankees are just looking for a stopgap to fill in for a brief absence from Cole in 2024, Bieber can provide that as a rental. The Yankees might prefer that to giving up Jones or signing one of the premier options left on the free-agent market.
“Another upside to a trade versus a free agent move is that the Yankees don’t have to pay the 110% tax rate that they do for a free agent signing,” Wilson noted. “Blake Snell costs them more than double what they pay him on the open market, while a trade wouldn’t be as detrimental when it comes to cash paid.”
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