MLB Trade Speculation: The Top Starting Pitching Targets for the Yankees

As is always the case come MLB trade deadline team, there is no shortage of teams seeking a quality arm for their starting rotation. Unlike past years, however, there are no marquee names to speak of on the trading block. One contending team in particular that is sure to pursue a deal for a starting pitcher is the New York Yankees.

Entering the season, New York’s starting rotation was much maligned. After the retirement of Andy Pettitte and the failure to sign Cliff Lee, there were a number of question marks surrounding the Yankee starters. The Yanks are in the top 10 in the league in team ERA to this point, though, meaning that their rotation has held up pretty well to this point.

CC Sabathia has been an absolute workhorse, although that was never really in question. Veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon have been excellent surprises as they both sport winning records and ERAs well below 4.00. A.J. Burnett has been his usual up-and-down self, but he has yet to implode like he did last season. The biggest mystery to this point is how Phil Hughes will fare over the season’s final couple months. He has mixed results since coming off the disabled list, but his velocity seems to be restored at the very least.

The Bronx Bombers seem to be fairly happy with their starting five at the moment, but one can’t help but think that another middle-of-the-rotation starter is a must if they hope to get past the rival Boston Red Sox in the playoffs. The addition of one more starter could facilitate a move to the bullpen for Hughes, which is a role he has thrived in in the past.

Whether the Yankees pull the trigger on a deal for a pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline is unknown at the moment, but they’ll be sure to examine anything that can help them on their quest for a 28th World Series Championship.

Here are the top starting pitching trade options for the New York Yankees.

Aaron Harang (San Diego Padres)

Perhaps no team in the majors is poised to be a bigger seller this deadline than the San Diego Padres. It’s quite the 180-degree turn for a Padres club that was a buyer last season and just narrowly missed the postseason. Most of San Diego’s rumored trade bait is in the form of relievers, but starter Aaron Harang is likely to be available as well. Harang is a pending free agent which makes him attractive to a team like the Yankees who are looking for a short-term addition to the rotation.

Harang hit the skids over the past few seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, but his career seems to have been revitalized thanks to his move to San Diego. It’s quite possible that much of that has to do with moving from the bandbox that is The Great American Ballpark to the spacious PETCO Park. As a sinkerball pitcher, Harang’s livelihood depends upon his ability to keep the ball down and produce groundball outs.

That was difficult to do in Cincinnati, but he has certainly rediscovered his magic in San Diego to the tune of a 9-2 record and a 3.45 ERA. His record is incredibly impressive when you consider how poor the Padres offense is. Moving to a more offense-centric park like Yankee Stadium might affect Harang adversely, but if he sticks to the basics he should be able to maintain his success and slip nicely into the backend of New York’s rotation. He also shouldn’t cost the Yanks very much, making him an attractive option.

Derek Lowe (Atlanta Braves)

Derek Lowe has been a serviceable pitcher for a long time and has an extremely productive career. It’s starting to become apparent, however, that he is reaching the end of the line. At 38 years old, that’s to be expected, but he should still be able to help a contending team down the stretch. Interestingly, the Atlanta Braves are in great position to secure the National League Wild Card, but they seem to be quite open to dealing Lowe.

There is little question that the biggest factor regarding Atlanta’s desire to trade Lowe is his contract. Lowe has one year and $15 million remaining on his contract, and the Braves would love to get some monetary relief by dealing him. It’s clear that Atlanta was a bit overzealous when they gave Lowe a four-year $60 million contract a few seasons ago. Lowe has failed to live up to that contract and hasn’t posted an ERA under 4.00 as a Brave.

Lowe is just 6-8 this season with a 4.49 ERA and seems to be the weak link on otherwise solid Braves pitching staff. If not for his contract, Lowe would have plenty of potential suitors, but there are very few teams willing or able to take on that type of financial commitment. The Yankees are one team who could, though. If they can hold Atlanta hostage in a deal and force them to pay some of Lowe’s remaining contract, there could be a fit. If not, Lowe will likely remain in Atlanta.

Jason Vargas (Seattle Mariners)

There aren’t many teams out there who have multiple starting pitchers on the block, but the Seattle Mariners are one of them in the form of Jason Vargas and Doug Fister. Although both of them could be capable back-of-the-rotation starters for most teams, Vargas is likely to get the most interest on the open market. Vargas has struggled a bit lately, but his overall numbers for the season are quite solid.

A 6-9 record is respectable on a weak Seattle team and his 4.09 ERA and 1.27 WHIP are decent as well. The main thing Vargas has going for him is the fact that he’s a lefty. There aren’t very many capable left-handed starters on the market, so Vargas is sure to be sought after. The Yanks in particular could benefit from adding another southpaw to their starting rotation. CC Sabathia is their only lefty currently, so adding another would make the rotation much more diverse and well rounded.

Vargas is somewhat of a control pitcher which is quite valuable come playoff time. He has walked just 38 batters in 134.1 innings this season, meaning he isn’t in the business of beating himself. It shouldn’t be understated how important throwing strikes is for a pitcher. Vargas may not have the greatest stuff, but stuff is meaningless without control. It’s difficult to say whether the Yanks think highly enough of Vargas to put him in their rotation, but at the very least they should able to get him for a relative bargain compared to most starters on the market.

Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)

Sometimes a player needs a change of scenery in order to rekindle their past magic. That may be the case for Chicago Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. Although Zambrano’s talent has never questioned, his attitude and focus have. He has been somewhat of a model citizen this season after multiple blowups last year, but he has been extremely inconsistent on the mound.

Zambrano has never had an ERA over 3.95 over the course of a full season during his career, but he currently has an ERA of 4.70 as well as a 1.42 WHIP. That, in and of itself, may make it difficult for the Cubs to move Zambrano. The real issue, however, is that Zambrano has one year and a ludicrous $18 million remaining on his contract. If Zambrano were pitching lights out it would be one thing, but his poor performance may make him impossible to trade.

As is the case with Derek Lowe, there aren’t many teams who have the means to take on Zambrano’s salary. If the Yanks feel as though they can correct whatever issues Zambrano may have, they can probably get him for next to nothing. Of course they would be on the hook for $18 million next season, but that doesn’t mean much to the Yankees. If Zambrano is being targeted as a pitcher who can help the Bombers get to the World Series, then New York won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

Edwin Jackson (Chicago White Sox)

While most of the starting pitchers available at the trade deadline tend to be middle-of-the-road veteran pitchers, there usually seems to be a valuable commodity of some sort out there. That valuable commodity this season may be Edwin Jackson of the Chicago White Sox. At 27 years old, Jackson is entering the prime of his career and he has better stuff than perhaps any of the starters rumored to be on the market.

Jackson is also set to enter free agency this offseason and could be poised to land a big deal as many pitching starved teams may be willing to shell out a ridiculous contract. Jackson is as inconsistent as they come, but when he’s on his game he can be an incredibly dominant pitcher capable of heading up many starting rotations in the league. Jackson’s current 7-7 record and 3.92 ERA may not seem overly impressive, but he has been pitching much better of late.

Despite the fact that Jackson is a pending free agent, he will probably cost more than most of the pitchers on this list because of his age and high ceiling. Jackson doesn’t have much postseason experience so the Yankees wouldn’t really know what they’re getting in that regard, but his potential to be dominant could be very attractive to the Yanks, as well as plenty of other teams.

Hiroki Kuroda (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Oftentimes in baseball, elite teams are able to take advantage of struggling, cash-strapped teams by getting the better of them in a trade. The Yankees may have that type of opportunity if they choose to deal for Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda. A pitcher as consistent as Kuroda wouldn’t normally be readily available, but with Dodgers’ ownership issues, they are desperately looking to cut some payroll.

Kuroda is under contract through 2013 and is arbitration eligible next season. He currently makes $12 million per season which is much too hefty for the Dodgers at the moment. Kuroda isn’t the flashiest pitcher, but he has lived up to his large contract in a lot of ways. His 6-12 record this season certainly isn’t representative of how well he has pitched all year long. He has an ERA of just 3.19 and a 1.22 WHIP to boot. Kuroda’s unconventional windup would probably translate well to the American League in terms of fooling hitters.

The Yanks may have some competition to contend with when it comes to landing Kuroda as the Red Sox are rumored to have interest as well. Kuroda has a no-trade clause, but seems willing to waive it to go to a contender, which bodes well for the Yankees. For a pitcher who has never had an ERA higher than 3.76 or a WHIP higher than 1.22, Kuroda isn’t getting much attention. He could very well turn out to be the best acquisition at this season’s deadline, though.

Wandy Rodriguez (Houston Astros)

Unless the Yankees are willing to give up a king’s ransom in a trade, they are extremely unlikely to land an ace-caliber starting pitcher at this year’s deadline. There is one pitcher who seems to have ace capabilities who is readily available, however, and that pitcher is Wandy Rodriguez of the Houston Astros. Rodriguez seemed poised to enter the conversation of elite pitchers two seasons ago, but has since leveled off a bit.

Rodriguez’s 3.60 ERA this season is solid despite his 6-7 record. He also has 100 strikeouts in 115 innings which highlights his superior stuff. Rodriguez’s value is buoyed by the fact that he is left handed as well. At 32 years old Rodriguez has been somewhat of a late bloomer which means he still may not have reached his ceiling. Rodriguez would have to make an adjustment if he’s to move to the American League, but it may be to his advantage as many AL hitters have never seen him before.

The biggest issue, as with many of the pitchers on the market, is his contract. Rodriguez is locked in for two more seasons for a total of $23 million and he also has a player option for 2014. His contract is big obviously, but it isn’t particularly ridiculous when compared to some of the other contracts lesser pitchers have received. If the Yankees want a pitcher who is capable of stepping up as a No. 2 behind CC Sabathia, then Rodriguez would be a solid acquisition. It’s difficult to say exactly how much he would cost the Yanks, but his contract probably makes him a little more affordable in terms of prospects.