The New York Yankees are ramping up their search for a starting pitcher.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yankees have asked the Seattle Mariners about left-handed pitcher James Paxton, who is believed to be available via trade.
#Yankees among teams that have spoken to #Mariners about a trade for LHP James Paxton, sources tell The Athletic. Paxton has two years of control left and is projected by @mlbtraderumors to earn $9M in arbitration next season. NYY also on free-agent LH starters Corbin, Happ, etc.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 9, 2018
It’s easy to see why Paxton would appeal to the Yankees. He has a career 3.42 ERA and threw a no-hitter last year. The only real problem is his injury history, which has held him back from being one of the game’s consistently elite starting pitchers. The fact that he has two years of team control left indicates that he probably won’t come cheap.
Even if the Yankees manage to acquire Paxton, they probably wouldn’t be done in that market. It would be a huge start, however, to what looks like a big offseason.
