The New York Yankees have agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with left-handed starter Max Fried. The Yankees had some moves to make this winter, and with more expected on the way, this was a good step in the right direction.
Ultimately, the Yankees still have work to do. Their offense looks much different after losing Juan Soto, perhaps the team’s biggest issue as currently constructed. The Yankees have money to spend, but if they want to get creative with trade packages, there are players they could look to move.
Among those players includes Nestor Cortes, who Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media predicted “could be trade bait.”
“The acquisition of Fried creates a surplus of left-handed starters, making Nestor Cortes a logical trade candidate. Cortes, coming off a solid 2024 season with a 3.77 ERA over 174.1 innings, offers one more year of team control before hitting free agency. His quirky delivery and ability to navigate lineups effectively make him an attractive option for teams seeking mid-rotation stability.
“Trading Cortes would allow the Yankees to address other areas of need, such as the bullpen or outfield piece while freeing up rotation space for Fried to slide seamlessly into the No. 2 slot behind Cole,” Wilson wrote on December 10.
Insiders Have Viewed Cortes as Potential Trade Chip
The New York Yankees rotation, with the addition of Fried, should be one of the best in baseball. How they perform and whether they can stay healthy will determine that, but on paper, the Yankees staff looks to be in a good spot.
While Cortes has been a decent pitcher, earning an All-Star nod, he’s struggled in recent campaigns. 2023 was the worst season in his Yankees career, posting a 4.97 ERA. He followed that up with a 3.77 ERA in 2024.
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com looked at potential Yankees trade candidates, which included Cortes and many others.
“Scanning the 40-man roster, the Yanks have several players who could fuel discussion to varying degrees, a group that includes: Nestor Cortes, Cody Poteet, Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, Jose Trevino, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Trent Grisham,” Hoch wrote on December 5.
Yankees Considered Trading Cortes at Deadline
The idea of trading Cortes isn’t coming out of nowhere. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the New York Yankees considered moving him at the deadline.
“The Yankees were on the verge of acquiring Tigers starter Jack Flaherty and then trading away starter Nestor Cortes (perhaps to St. Louis for injured infielder Tommy Edman), until plans changed.
“Yankees GM Brian Cashman denied they backed out after reviewing Flaherty’s medicals, concerned with his recent back problems, but several GMs were convinced that Flaherty’s back problems indeed scared off the Yankees,” Nightengale wrote in August.
Had the Yankees traded Cortes for either player, they would’ve been in a much better position in the postseason. Cortes dealt with an arm injury and have up a walk-off home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series, a swing that changed the energy of the series.
Finding a perfect trade partner for the Yankees is tough, but if a team believes Cortes could return to his old ways, he’d be a valuable player.
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