The New York Yankees already traded one starting pitcher this winter. Will they consider moving another?
Two weeks ago, the Yankees shipped Nestor Cortes and prospect Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers to land closer Devin Williams. It was a huge upgrade for the Yankee bullpen, and New York could afford to do it because they had seven rotation options at the time.
But a major-league starting rotation only has five spots, so if the Yankees want to deal from their remaining depth to keep upgrading their lineup (reminder: Juan Soto isn’t on the team anymore), it would be hard to blame them.
The next arm to go may be Clarke Schmidt, the talented 28-year-old who had a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts this year. Marcus Stroman would be the Yankees’ first choice to deal, but his contract makes that a lot tougher, while Rookie of the Year Luis Gil would be much more difficult to part ways with.
On Thursday, Rucker Haringey of FanSided proposed a deal that would send Schmidt to the Detroit Tigers for third baseman Jace Jung, Detroit’s number-five prospect who debuted at the end of the 2024 season.
“The Tigers do (need) more starting pitching,” Haringey said. “If the Yankees dangle someone like Clarke Schmidt in a potential trade for Jung, it could be enough to get Detroit’s front office to the table.”
“Jung would give the Yankees an upgrade on the diamond at a cost-controlled salary next season. Both seem to be requirements for Cashman at this time.”
Jung, the younger brother of Texas Rangers World Series champion Jace Jung, slashed .262/.362/.304 in 34 big-league games. He has a shot to be the Tigers’ Opening Day third baseman in 2025–if he doesn’t get traded, of course.
A 2022 Tigers first-rounder and the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year at Texas Tech, Jung’s calling card is his power, which has made him a fit to play third base in the big leagues even though he played more second in the minors. He has 44 minor-league homers in 253 career games.
Would bringing Jung to the Bronx be worth giving up Schmidt? It’s hard to say without the benefit of hindsight, but that’s why big-league general managers make all that money.
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