The New York Yankees have surprised many by leading the American League East into June despite losing their captain, Derek Jeter, to retirement last season and dealing with 2015 injuries to Masahiro Tanaka and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. With a division title beginning to look like a real possibility, the Yankees are clear buyers in this season’s trade market.
According to reports, the Yankees are considering a big purchase on the pitching front—Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto.
Cueto is having another spectacular season, and coming off a 20-win campaign in 2014, he’s likely priced himself out of re-signing with the Reds. Cueto’s agent Bryce Dixon said as much early this month.
“[The Reds] made no indications to Johnny that they want to trade him. But reading the tea leaves, if they fall out of contention it seems to make sense from their end because if they ride the season out with him and don’t make the playoffs, then they’re stuck with a compensation pick. And from where I sit, I think they can probably get more than that on the trade market,” Dixon said.
Tanaka has since returned from his elbow injury, but the Yankees are relying on some shaky players behind him. CC Sabathia is long past his prime, Michael Pineda has been a ticking injury time bomb throughout his short career, and Nathan Eovaldi’s advanced statistics suggest his 5-1 record is part mirage.
Cueto, on the other hand, is pitching to a sub-3.00 ERA for the fifth consecutive season, although his 4-4 record doesn’t do his performances justice. The Yankees had a scout in attendance for his most recent start, although they were not alone.
#Yankees and #Tigers each had a scout at Johnny Cueto's start in Chicago over the weekend. #Reds @FOXSports
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 14, 2015
The Detroit Tigers, who lost ace Max Scherzer to free agency this offseason, also sent a scout to observe Cueto. Judging from how they handled Scherzer, it isn’t clear if they’d be treating Cueto as a long-term option or as a half-season rental to chase a title.
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