The New York Yankees could look to upgrade their pitching staff ahead of the trade deadline.
New York will likely look to address its bullpen through the trade market, but the Yankees could also look to add more starting pitching depth. Although the backend of the bullpen is a bigger need, Yankees analyst Stephen Parello of FanSided urges the team to acquire Dustin May from the St. Louis Cardinals.
“As for May, he’s an interesting option, though less likely. If the Yankees were to pursue him, he could help in one of two ways,” Parello wrote. “First, a move to the bullpen could help unlock his stuff. The 28-year-old has a seriously long injury history, which includes a near-fatal bout with a salad. While nothing can protect him from a rogue piece of lettuce, pitching out of the ‘pen could keep his arm healthy, as he’s only been able to top the 100-inning threshold once as a starter. …
“The second benefit is that acquiring him could consolidate the redundancy the Yankees have with Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough, and push both of the underwhelming veterans off the roster. The Yankees don’t trust either Blackburn or Yarbrough to actually make a spot start, so that’s another role that May could fill during the dog days of the summer and keep everyone fresh.”
May can serve as starting pitching depth and also would replace Blackburn and Yarbrough. He also has experience playing in the AL East after the Boston Red Sox traded for him last season.
May Pitching Well This Season
May signed a one-year, $12.5 million contract with the Cardinals this offseason after ending the year with the Red Sox.
With St. Louis, May is pitching well as he’s 3-6 with a 4.59 ERA in 12 starts this season. If the Yankees do trade for the right-hander, he could also be used as a spot starter to give Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried an extra day of rest, as all three battled injuries this season.
Meanwhile, there is some concern about Ryan Weathers’ workload, so if he needs to be shifted to the bullpen, May can help fill that gap.
Then, come the playoffs, May can be used as a reliever, especially if he pitches well down the stretch to give Aaron Boone some length out of the bullpen.
Yankees Expected to Pursue Bullpen Help
New York is one of the top teams in the MLB this season, so the Yankees will be buyers ahead of the trade deadline.
The clear area of need for the Yankees is the bullpen, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty.
“At last year’s deadline, the Yankees brought in a trio of relief arms in Jake Bird, Camilo Doval and David Bednar,” Kuty wrote. “They may not need as much assistance in sheer quantity this time around, especially with internal options they may be considering. But one of the evaluators, when asked about the Yankees’ weak points, replied: ‘Lots of bullpen (help).’”
Relievers are always traded in the lead-up to the deadline, so the Yankees will have options to pursue in trades.
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