In their hunt for starting pitching, the New York Yankees are reportedly looking at a trio of potential aces in Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and James Paxton, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports.
With the general manager meetings underway, the Yankees' top brass has a scheduled meeting with the Cleveland Indians - the current employer of both Kluber and Carrasco.
Late last week a report surfaced that Cleveland would be open to part with either of their top aces.
Entering his age-33 season, Kluber has won two Cy Young awards and was announced as a finalist for a third Monday.
The right-hander and three-time All-Star is coming off his first 20-win season, posting a 2.89 ERA and 3.12 FIP over a league-leading 215 innings. Under team control for three more seasons, Kluber is due a maximum of $52.5 million.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Carrasco is coming off a second-straight dominant campaign after freak injuries prevented him from reaching his ceiling earlier in his career.
Since the beginning of 2017, Carrasco has thrown 392 innings over 62 starts while posting a 3.33 ERA and 3.02 FIP. The righty is owed $9.75 million next season and has a $9.5-million team option for 2020.
Finally, the Seattle Mariners find themselves in a precarious position and are reportedly considering selling. In the event they do, Paxton would be the top asset available.
The 30-year-old notched career highs in starts and innings pitched this past season while throwing his first no-hitter. The southpaw authored a 3.76 ERA and 3.23 FIP over 28 starts. Paxton is still eligible for arbitration through the 2020 season.
The Yankees figure to be prominent players on the starting pitching market this offseason and have already been tied to top free-agent starter Patrick Corbin. The club is actively shopping Sonny Gray, while CC Sabathia, J.A. Happ, and Lance Lynn are all free agents.
