Yankees Trade Rumors: Blue Jays Asked for Deivi Garcia in Marcus Stroman Talks

The New York Yankees refused to part with superstar pitching prospect Deivi Garcia in trade talks with the Toronto Blue Jays for right-hander Marcus Stroman, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network and WFAN.

The Jays eventually agreed to deal Stroman to the New York Mets, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Garcia, 20, has struck out 128 batters over 82.2 minor league innings this season. He sports a 5-6 record and 3.38 ERA and currently plays for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Stroman, 28, went 6-11 with a 2.96 ERA for the Blue Jays. He has earned a quality start in six of his last seven outings.

The Yankees are desperate for starting pitching help after a brutal stretch in which the Bronx Bombers gave up seven or more runs in seven straight games. Katie Sharp of the Talkin' Yanks podcast offered some perspective on the team's struggles:

New York entered its Sunday matchup with the Boston Red Sox just 20th in starter's ERA in Major League Baseball.

Although their lineup is arguably the league's best, the Yanks will be hard-pressed to win their first World Series in 10 years without some reinforcements.

Stroman isn't an answer anymore given his move to another New York borough, and as good as Garcia has been, he may not be ready for prime time just yet. In an admittedly limited sample size, Garcia has a 5.14 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in his three Triple-A starts, although he has struck out one batter per inning.

The question is where the Yankees go from here prior to the Wednesday trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET.

Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reported Saturday that the Yankees and Houston Astros are calling the Cleveland Indians about 28-year-old Trevor Bauer, who is 9-8 with 185 strikeouts and a 3.79 ERA this season.

Andy Martino of The Athletic tweeted Friday that the Yanks are also looking at the New York Mets' Zack Wheeler, a 29-year-old who is 7-6 with a 4.71 ERA and 137 punchouts.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com mentioned, though, that "it is believed that the Mets have no interest in helping the Yankees." Hoch also wrote that the Yanks have sent scouts to watch the Detroit Tigers' Matthew Boyd and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray.

Regardless of where the Yankees go, general manager Brian Cashman has gone on the record regarding his desire to improve the staff.

"The target would be to continue to reinforce the rotation, because obviously that's where the majority of your innings are going to have to come from," Cashman told reporters. "We've got a long way to go and those innings are vitally important, so we're going to target starting pitching. And then if not, we'll continue to reinforce the bullpen."

Despite the struggles, the Yankees still entered Sunday with a comfortable eight-game lead in the American League East with a 66-38 record.

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