Cashman: Yankees will likely add pitching, Frazier potentially on table
The New York Yankees are planning to upgrade the starting rotation by the July 31st trade deadline, and they're making no secret about it.
General manager Brian Cashman told reporters that the only way the team will fail to add starting pitching is if prices are too high on the trade market, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
One trade chip expected to generate a ton of interest is outfielder Clint Frazier, who the Yankees have been reluctant to move. That said, he's not untouchable for the right return.
"I never said he's off the table. I'd like to keep him," Cashman said of Frazier. "... He's not someone that is easily accessible. He's going to be someone that is asked about a lot, and understandably so."
Frazier has been lighting it up in Triple-A. He's hitting .307/.380/.546 with seven home runs in 184 plate appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. And in his brief spell with the big-league club, he's held his own as well.
Even with Masahiro Tanaka set to rejoin the rotation relatively soon, and the team featuring a top-10 staff despite his absence, there is always room for improvement.
Cashman has already been talking with Omar Minaya, a special assistant to New York Mets acting general manager John Ricco, and the team has inquired about Mets pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
No deals are yet in place, but the Yankees can be expected to enter the fray sooner or later.