Even after dropping two out of three to the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, the New York Yankees find themselves with a comfortable 5.5-game lead over the second-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.
The Yankees’ offense has been one of the best in Major League Baseball, and the rotation, led by Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, has done more than enough to consider them World Series contenders.
However, the Yankees are just one of the many clubs that may look for pitching additions at this year’s trade deadline on July 31. General manager Brian Cashman could also consider making a move before the deadline.
Would the Rangers be Willing to Move Their Ace?
If Gerrit Cole were not out for the entirety of the 2025 season, there’s a strong possibility the New York Yankees would not show much interest in a trade for a top-tier arm.
The combination of Fried and Rodon has been one of the best one-two punches in MLB this season, and Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren, and Ryan Yarbrough have all performed well for New York on the mound. Yarbrough has allowed just six earned runs in his last five starts (26 innings).
If Cashman and company decide they’d prefer to add another arm, FanSided’s Adam Weinrib suggested a trade idea that would send Texas Rangers starting pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom to the Yankees.
“It will be near-impossible to fortify the Yankees’ rotation with a bona fide ace this summer, but they’ll certainly be on the hunt for a high-upside righty to at least approximate the possibility,” Weinrib wrote Friday.
“Nathan Eovaldi of the Texas Rangers would be a great add, if their offense continues to sputter. But if the Yankees are willing to take on Eovaldi’s money (big if), and if the Rangers decide to sell (smaller if), there’s a way to pay a bit more cash and make Mets fans miserable.”
Weinrib believes a Yankees trade for deGrom would be a way for the two New York fan bases to be on an even level playing field with one another after the New York Mets signed outfielder Juan Soto to a record contract one year after he led the Yankees to the World Series.
“Any Mets fan who these days will tell you that Juan Soto leaving the Yankees shouldn’t be a big deal, considering he spent only one year in the Bronx, while also telling you at the exact same time that stealing Soto is the greatest moment of their lives to date,” wrote Weinrib. “It sure would be nice to shut those folks up with a franchise history-shaking counter-move.”
How deGrom Fits with the Yankees
If the New York Yankees were to show interest in deGrom, their intentions would be more about winning a championship rather than upsetting Mets fans.
The future Hall of Famer has a career ERA of 2.51 and has twice led the league in strikeouts (2019, 2020). Adding deGrom to the top of an already strong Yankees rotation consisting of Fried and Rodon would make them a tough out against any opponent.
“We all saw that smirk on deGrom’s face at Yankee Stadium when the Rangers came to visit and he locked eyes with Aaron Judge,” wrote Weinrib. “We also all see his 2.42 ERA and 0.963 WHIP in 11 starts. He turns 37 years old in mid-June. Do the Rangers believe in absorbing his age-38 and 39 seasons? Shouldn’t it be easier for the Yankees to stomach them, now that Soto and his .220 average aren’t clogging their books?”
