Francisco Liriano is an ideal rental for the Yankees
The New York Yankees clearly need to acquire starting pitching help before the deadline. Francisco Liriano could give their rotation a big boost.
Every day Luis Severino doesn’t start the game pitching for the Yankees has the potential to turn into an adventure for Aaron Boone. There’s no doubt the club will look to add starting pitching ahead of the trade deadline. The team should certainly call the Detroit Tigers about Francisco Liriano.
The talented lefty isn’t going to fix the club’s rotation issues for years to come, but he can stabilize things in the short-term. His ERA of just 3.90 in 10 starts for the Tigers this season shows just how steady he can be. Currently, that would allow him to slot comfortably into the second starter role in New York behind Severino.
The Tigers currently find themselves second in the NL central, but their record of 24-29 makes it obvious they aren’t going in a positive direction. Almost everyone on their roster should be available via trade. Liriano’s contract makes him a particularly attractive trade candidate. He’s only making $4 million this year and he’ll hit free agency at the conclusion of the season.
It’s possible a team trading for him might re-sign him, but he certainly has the potential to be a rental.
That, of course, means the Tigers can’t ask for too much in return for Liriano. The Yankees could likely get away with offering one, mid-tier prospect in a deal. It’s highly improbable that any team is going to part ways with a top-flight prospect for a 34-year-old pitcher in the last year of his contract.
The depth of the Yankees farm system makes that a very easy price to meet. It’s even possible the Tigers might be interested in one of New York’s fringe major leaguers. Someone like Giovanny Gallegos might be enough to bring Liriano to the Bronx.
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If the Yankees only needed one additional starting pitcher then it would make sense to target someone better than Liriano. The ugly truth is that Brian Cashman probably needs to add two before the deadline. Under that assumption, Liriano has enough ability at a low enough price to make him an ideal trade candidate for the Yankees.