One of the Yankees’ three-headed monsters in the bullpen could be on the move before the season ends.
The Yankees have a collection of young, flamethrowers that include Andrew Miller, Nathan Eovaldi, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman. With a record of 27-30 and sitting at fourth place in the AL East, the Yankees could be looking to make a move, not only for now but for the future.
The Yankees have many big contracts expiring soon. These include Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira after 2017 and Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia after 2018. With these contracts coming off the books, the Yankees have room to rebuild their team. Aside from likely making Bryce Harper a historical contract offer, they have room to deal one of their flamethrowers. Andrew Miller looks like the likely candidate.
A deal that looks good for the Bombers, according to NJ.com, is Miller for the young phenom, Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber, who is missing the entire 2016 season due to an ACL tear, is 23-years-old and made an immediate splash in the league. He batted .246 with 16 homeruns and 43 RBIs in only 69 games in 2015.
While Schwarber strikes out a lot, he hits a lot of homeruns which is perfect for the Yankees and their stadium. Schwarber has the potential to put up big numbers in the Bronx due to him being a left-handed hitter and the very short porch in right field.
Even though Schwarber showed that he is almost a defensive liability, landing in the American League could give him a great career as a DH. The Yankees have a plan that is well worth waiting for. After all these contracts of aged players are up, they have plenty of young talent coming up. First baseman Greg Bird, who is also missing the 2016 season due to injury, showed signs of being the future. Right fielder Aaron Judge, infielder Rob Refsnyder and pitcher Luis Severino are other prospects that are expected to shine.
With Betances likely to stay a Yankee and Chapman likely resigning after this season, trading Miller would not hurt the Yankees’ bullpen that much. Schwarber along with their young prospects makes for long term success for the Yankees, and if they sign Harper, forget it.
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Let’s not forget, the Cubs are pretty good too. They have many young guys including Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler. Not to mention Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta. They could afford to trade a young player to acquire a shutdown guy in the bullpen.
It is unsure whether the trade will go through because Schwarber has made it obvious that he loves Chicago but it makes sense for both sides.
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