Yankees pretend to deal a valuable pitcher for a former All-Star
In a recent mock deal, the New York Yankees sacrificed one of their most valued starting pitchers to stack their depth chart at a critical position in the outfield.
A group of writers at The Athletic put out a fictitious trade proposal that would send center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Miami Marlins in return for Yankees LHP Nestor Cortes, RHP Brock Selvidge, and shortstop prospect Roderick Arias (via Kevin Hickey of The Sporting News):
Hickey said that the Yankees forfeited right-hand pitcher Brock Selvidge, shortstop prospect Roderick Arias, and starter Nestor Cortes in this potential trade.
When the roster support deadline approaches, the Yankees may decide to cut Nestor Cortes and his prospects.
For some weeks now, there have been rumors that the Yankees are considering a deal for Cortes. The seasoned great pitcher has performed admirably in 2024, despite several setbacks. When Cortes returns from injury, he’ll have competition for a prominent spot in the rotation from Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Cody Poteet, especially with the AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole back in the lineup and Luis Gil performing at a high level.
Arias and Selvidge are more possibly disposable players for the Yankees. While Arias has stolen 19 bases and drove in 43 RBIs in 279 at-bats in Single-A for the Tampa Tarpons, Selvidge, New York’s No. 92 overall choice from 2021, has retired 72 hitters behind a 3.75 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in Double-A for the Somerset Patriots.
Even with his 3.51 ERA, stellar 1.105 WHIP, 4.5 percent BB% (93rd percentile), and 98 strikeouts in an MLB-high 18 starts this season, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Cortes’ future in New York is far from assured. The Yankees might get a good return if they package him with Selvidge and Arias, but is Chisholm Jr. the appropriate player to make such a move for?
After being selected for the All-Star squad in 2022, Chisholm Jr. has already surpassed his doubles total from that season (10) in 2023 (12) and tied his triples total (4). The 26-year-old is on track to hit 19.6 home runs should he play out the remainder of 2024, matching the career best he established in 2023 on the low end and surpassing it should he reach 20 home runs by the conclusion of the season, having missed only three games this year.
Chisholm Jr. would be a valuable addition to the Yankees in order to maintain CF Aaron Judge’s legs fresh throughout the second half of the season. With 195 putouts against only two mistakes in center field this season, the Bahamas native sports a.990 fielding percentage.
