Yankees Trade Proposal Replaces Gerrit Cole With 2.55 ERA All-Star

When the New York Yankees signed Max Fried, the idea was to pair him with Gerrit Cole. Unfortunately, Cole hurt his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery before the start of the campaign. He’ll miss the entire year, hoping to come back in 2026 better than ever. 

With that being as big of an issue as it is, as one could argue that Cole is still a top-five starter in baseball, and is certainly the Yankees’ ace, despite how well Fried has thrown the baseball to start the year, New York will need to add to its pitching staff. 

Making predictions on where the top players at the deadline will land, Jim Riley of Ball Cap Sports predicted that the Yankees would trade for Milwaukee Brewers’ right-hander Freddy Peralta, who’s under team control through 2026. 

“Give me the New York Yankees. I think the Yankees get aggressive here,” Riley said. “The plan when they signed Fried was to have a lefty and a righty, top-of-the-rotation aces leading them back to the World Series.

“Right now, the Yankees don’t have a rotation that could go toe-to-toe with a healthy Dodgers starting pitching group.”

The Best Available Starting Pitcher

Peralta might be the best starter dealt at the deadline, and if he landed with the New York Yankees, they should be very happy. 

Throughout the early stages of the campaign, he’s been excellent again, posting a 2.55 ERA and striking out 60 hitters in 60.0 innings. The Milwaukee Brewers have consistently shown that they’re willing to cut costs at any potential avenue, moving on from players like Peralta in recent years. 

If the Yankees are willing to move a decent prospect haul for the ace, it’s possible that he gets dealt. 

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, if he’s available, there will be many teams around baseball interested in landing him, something the Yankees have to factor in with their potential trade package. 

“If the Brewers are truly considering all their options, as general manager Matt Arnold consistently says, then their best starting pitcher needs to start the conversation.

“Peralta, who turns 29 on June 4, is in the penultimate year of the massively team-friendly extension he signed in February of 2020. He’s due only $8 million in 2026, and the combination of his salary, age, durability and talent would no doubt interest any team in search of a big rotation upgrade,” he wrote.

The Yankees Will Acquire Another Starter

It’s almost a guarantee that the New York Yankees will add a starter at the deadline. 

Whether it’s somebody of Peralta’s caliber remains to be seen. Still, when speaking on MLB Network radio on Sunday, Brian Cashman admitted that his top priority during the summer will be adding pitching. 

Pitching helps teams win championships, and if anybody understands that, it’s Cashman.

“Always pitching, pitching, pitching, whether that’s adding to the rotation or adding to the bullpen,” Cashman said Sunday during an interview with SiriusXM MLB Network Radio.

The only question remaining for the Yankees is who they add and when they do it. 

If it happens closer to the deadline, perhaps it’s somebody like Peralta. If it’s some time over the next month, it’ll likely be a starter of lesser caliber due to teams not wanting to move on from a high-profile starter that far in advance.

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