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The New York Yankees entered Friday two games back of the Toronto Blue Jays and have suffered major injuries to their pitching staff. With the trade deadline occurring in the coming weeks, The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty predicts that the Bronx Bombers will be welcoming Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly into the pinstripes.
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
After going to the World Series in 2023, the Diamondbacks have fallen behind the eight ball in the National League West and are entering trade season as perceived sellers, with Bob Nightengale of USA Today reporting that the Diamondbacks are putting their expiring contracts on the trade block. This is good news for the Yankees as the Diamondbacks are looking to move on from Kelly, who has been fantastic this season with a 3.34 ERA through 20 starts.
Kelly would allow the Yankees to pick up reinforcements for a starting rotation that has seen its fair share of injuries, including ace Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery in spring training. Kelly would be a relatively inexpensive rental to add to a rotation that includes Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. With last season’s Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, preparing to make his return, adding the Diamondbacks starter would create a solid rotation entering the playoffs.
A trade for Kelly could also include Eugenio Suárez heading to the Bronx, killing two birds with one stone, as the Yankees have a need at the hot corner as well as on the mound.
With the trade deadline inching closer, the Yankees are expected to be major players in the trade market as they push to redeem themselves for last season’s World Series loss.
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