According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Yankees are closing in on a deal with the Minnesota Twins for starting pitcher Jaime Garcia. The 31-year-old pitcher was recently traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Twins. However, Minnesota's recent struggles have them falling out of playoff contention, which means that they are possibly willing to sell off pieces. Garcia would give the Yankees a backup plan in case they don't land Sonny Gray.
Garcia does not mean Gray hunt is over
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, acquiring Garcia does not mean that the Yankees are going to stop trying to trade for Gray.
According to reports on Saturday, the Yankees and Oakland Athletics are still trying to work out a deal. However, the Yankees do not want to part with outfielder Clint Frazier. The No. 34 ranked prospect, according to MLB.com, has flourished in his time in New York as he has a slugging percentage over .500 with four home runs.
Having Garcia and Gray would give the team a nice problem to have. The team already has Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, and Jordan Montgomery in the rotation. The move would give the team six starting pitchers, and provide insurance to a team that lost Michael Pineda to season ending Tommy John Surgery. If the deal happened, Montgomery would likely go to the bullpen for a long relief role.
Garcia would provide back rotation support
Garcia threw 6 2/3 innings in his lone start with the Twins and allowed three earned runs. According to the MLB Garcia has logged a 4.29 ERA (4.04 FIP), 6.29 K/9, 3.31 BB/9 and a 55 percent ground-ball rate over 119 2/3 innings. Garcia is only a rental this season as he is set to be a free agent.
The Yankees are also likely to lose Sabathia to free agency this season as he is 37 years old.
The Yankees have reportedly said they would give up Zack Littell, who is ranked the 22nd best prospect in their system. Littell is a 21 year old pitcher who has a 1.87 Earned Run Average in Class-A, and Class-AA. The Yankees scratched him from his start on Saturday with rumors circulating Littell was on the move.
Postseason expectations
The Yankees have been on a tear this July. The team traded for Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle with the Chicago White Sox. The possible addition of Garcia and Gray would mean the Yankees have added five new pieces. The Yankees have not won a playoff series since 2012. The team made the playoffs in 2015, but lost in the wild card series to the Houston Astros.