As they continue piling up series wins, the New York Yankees can begin setting their sights on the trade deadline.
The early season has gone swimmingly for the 32-20 Yankees, who have built a six-game lead atop the surprisingly mediocre American League East. But the preseason loss of Gerrit Cole still looms large in the big picture.
Fortunately, Max Fried has been every bit the ace for the Yankees that Cole is at his best. The former Atlanta Braves two-time All-Star looks like the early favorite to start the Midsummer Classic for the AL, though Tarik Skubal’s 13-strikeout shutout might shift the odds a bit.
Landing a right-handed ace to go alongside Fried might be what swings the pendulum in New York’s favor in the pennant chase. One baseball analyst thinks they’ll go out and do just that at the deadline.
In a recent YouTube video, Jim Riley of BALLCAP Sports predicted that the Yankees would trade for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who is under team control through 2026 and making only $8 million in each of the next two seasons.
“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.
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“Right now, the Yankees don’t have a rotation that could go toe-to-toe with a healthy Dodgers starting pitching group.”
Peralta, who turns 29 in June, has a 2.55 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 60 innings this season. A 2021 All-Star, he’s now the unquestioned ace of this Brewers staff, which would make it disappointing to some if the team traded him away.
However, the Yankees don’t care what Brewers fans hope for. If they sense that Peralta is available, they’d better do their best to land him, because a handful of other teams will do the same.
More MLB: Dodgers-Cardinals trade proposal sends $8.2 million 2x All-Star to LA
