The New York Yankees are looking through the trade market and their own options to find a replacement for their best pitcher Gerrit Cole, who has sustained an injury that seems severe in his pitching elbow after throwing a little this spring.
Bob Nightengale from USA Today said that the team is talking again with the Chicago White Sox about possibly trading for their star pitcher Dylan Cease, but they haven't reached an agreement yet. Predicting other pitchers who could temporarily replace Gerrit Cole for FanSided, Josh Wilson suggested that the team might trade for two-time All Star Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians.
Wilson thinks that now, with New York potentially really needing a good pitcher for their rotation, they might give up promising players to make it worth it for Cleveland.
Are the Cleveland Guardians Ready to Trade Shane Bieber to the New York Yankees?
The Guardians had been seen as likely to sell Bieber, as he is due to being about to become a free agent at the end of the season and expected to get a contract for $95 million over five years, as said by Tim Britton of The Athletic. MLB expert Jon Heyman said that Cleveland has “a chance to win the AL Central” in 2024 and a trade for Bieber might be unlikely as a result, but the Yankees' new urgency might change that.
“It seems that the Guardians, at least, checked to see the interest,” Wilson mentioned. “One possible explanation is that the Guardians asked around about Bieber, didn't like the price, and quickly decided not to trade him.”
As Nightengale reported, a problem in trying to get Cease has been that the Yankees don't want to give up second-best prospect Spencer Jones. If they could get Bieber without including him, they might be more likely to make a deal with the Guardians.
Shane Bieber Can Strengthen the New York Yankees Rotation in Gerrit Cole's Absence
Bieber hasn't been as good since his 2020 season when he won the MLB pitching triple crown by leading the major leagues in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He also got the Cy Young Award and All-MLB first team honors that season. In 2023, however, his ERA went up to 3.80 and he had the fewest strikeouts of his career with 107. He's still about as good as Cease, though Cease might be more valuable as he will
. Bieber is set to make $13.125 million next seasoncost just $8 million in 2024 and will be able to sign with any team after that. But if the Yankees just need a temporary replacement for Cole in 2024, Bieber can do that as a rental. The Yankees might prefer that to giving up Jones or signing one of the top available players in the free-agent market. “Another positive side of a trade over signing a free agent is that the Yankees don't have to pay the 110% tax rate that they do for a free agent signing,” Wilson mentioned. “Blake Snell costs them more than double what they pay him on the open market, while a trade wouldn’t be as bad when it comes to cash paid.” The New York Yankees may be looking into trading for Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians while Gerrit Cole is injured.
But if the Yankees are just looking for a stopgap to fill in for a brief absence from Cole in 2024, Bieber can provide that as a rental. The Yankees might prefer that to giving up Jones or signing one of the premier options left on the free-agent market.
“Another upside to a trade versus a free agent move is that the Yankees don’t have to pay the 110% tax rate that they do for a free agent signing,” Wilson noted. “Blake Snell costs them more than double what they pay him on the open market, while a trade wouldn’t be as detrimental when it comes to cash paid.”
