New York Yankees: 5 Trade Options to Help the 2012 Starting Rotation

When the Yankees' season ended with their ALDS elimination by the Detroit Tigers, everyone immediately got out the drawing boards and started figuring out what to do for 2012.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi already went on record to saying that the starting rotation is the number one issue and priority for the offseason.

The Yankees did surprisingly well with a rotation that was thrown together by Brian Cashman, but it wasn't good enough to win a championship by any means.

Both Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia are likely not to return, as they were just one-year experiment deals. Don't be surprised if you see both A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes' names come up in trade talk this winter as well.

The Yankees are likely to see CC Sabathia exercise his opt-out clause, but Sabathia wants to get a deal worked out with the Yankees if he does exercise the clause.

That just leaves Ivan Nova, a likely candidate for 2011 A.L. Rookie of the Year.

What does that leave us in the Bronx? Right back where we were last year.

Only this time, Cliff Lee isn't on the market, Andy Pettitte is officially retired and the free agent market isn't very spectacular outside of Sabathia and possibly C.J. Wilson and I've already stressed how the Yankees need to stay away from Wilson.

I actually think the Yankees could look to explore some trades this winter to try and help their rotation for 2012.

For the sake of argument, lets all assume that Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances start the season in AAA and are there for most of the year to continue their development for the future.

What pitchers could the Yankees trade for this winter? Lets find out.

Brett Myers, Houston Astros

I am very surprised that Brett Myers is still in Houston.

The Astros have become the laughing-stock of baseball with the worst record in baseball at 56-106 and are basically in their early stages of re-building the team.

Myers has one of the biggest contracts on Houston—$11 million in 2012 and a $10 million vesting option for 2013.

Whether or not the vesting option ever does happen, Myers would at least be a one-year trading rental. He'll be 31 next year, but he still can provide quality innings and is very durable.

Plus, he has postseason experience from when he was on the 2008 Phillies championship team.

Roy Oswalt, Philadelphia Phillies

Evan Roberts of WFAN had an interesting trade proposal last week on his show.

The Yankees pick up Nick Swisher's option for 2012, the Phillies pick up Roy Oswalt's option for 2012 and the Yankees and Phillies then swap Swisher for Oswalt.

The trade does make sense considering the Yankees need pitching and the Phillies will need help at first base early in the season as Ryan Howard recovers from his Achilles tear in Game 5 of the NLDS.

Oswalt will be 35 next year and many have wondered if he is near the end of his baseball career, but the one thing that has always been missing from his career is a World Series ring.

With Houston and Philly, he has failed. New York could be his last shot if they ever did make this deal happen.

Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves

Last week, based off the idea from Ken Davidoff of Newsday, I made the suggestion of trading A.J. Burnett for Derek Lowe.

Lowe has one more year left on his deal with the Braves for $15 million, while the Yankees are on the hook for two years and $33 million for Burnett.

Lowe will be 39 years old next year and is likely towards the end of his career, but Lowe still has a lot of value left. He doesn't get hurt and is always good for almost 200 innings every season.

Lowe would be a short-term solution while Banuelos and Betances get ready in the minors.

The Braves have been looking for ways to shed Lowe's contract for a couple of seasons now and the Yankees could be one of those teams if they were interested in a trade.

Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers

A lot of people have mentioned the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, but lets face it, the Dodgers aren't trading Kershaw unless Dodgers GM Ned Colletti really wants to screw over his employers really badly.

Chad Billingsley is not off limits for a trade, but with owner Frank McCourt's financial troubles, the Dodgers are in a bad way and could shed payroll.

Chad Billingsley is due to make $9 million in 2012, $11 million in 2013, $12 million in 2014 and a $14 million option for 2014.

By trading for Billingsley, it wouldn't be a short-term trade for the Yankees.

He's only 26 years old with really good stuff as a young, hard-throwing pitcher

With the Dodgers, he's was 11-11 in 2011, which is where his record has hovered over the last three years with Los Angeles. If the Dodgers do in fact have a fire sale, Kershaw and Matt Kemp may be the only two to survive it.

Maybe the Yankees could see what it would take it get Billingsley in a trade.

Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

The biggest name on the list here, Matt Cain.

Cain is due to be a free agent after the 2012 season, so you have to wonder if Brian Sabean has wondered about trying to get something in return for Cain.

The Giants have depth at starting pitcher with Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Jonathan Sanchez. Plus, Barry Zito is still under contract for another two years.

Cain is due to make $15 million in 2012, but he's totally worth it.

He was 12-11 with a 2.88 ERA in 2011. His record would be better if the Giants ever scored any runs.

You could make a case that a starting point for a trade could be Jesus Montero, but the Giants do have Buster Posey as their catcher.

Cain will be 27 years old in 2012 and he already has playoff experience under his belt. During the 2010 postseason, he was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Yup, 0.00 ERA, which meant Cain was un-touchable last October.

Cain's a gamer and if the Yankees have any chance to try and land Cain this winter, they should do it. Even if it costs them Montero, it could be worth it.