3 pitchers Yankees need to add after missing on Dylan Cease trade again

1. Shane Bieber, Guardians

If the New York Yankees want to add a pitcher that has name value but won't cost as much as Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians might be their guy.

Bieber's future in Cleveland is up in the air, as he is entering his final year of arbitration before hitting free agency next winter. This season, Bieber is scheduled to make $13.1 million, which is still a hefty sum, but wouldn't nearly be as expensive as the top two starting pitchers available in free agency.

The Yankees pitching coach is Matt Blake, who was previously the minor league pitching coordinator in Cleveland back in 2016 before becoming pitching coach in 2020. Another one of the pitchers that Blake worked with in Cleveland besides Mike Clevinger was Bieber, who developed into an American League Cy Young Award winner (2020).

This past season with Cleveland, Bieber recorded a 3.80 ERA, a 1.234 WHIP, a 6-6 win-loss record, 107 strikeouts, and 34 walks over 128.0 innings (21 starts). Bieber was limited due to right elbow inflammation midway through the season.

Look, this is a World Series or bust season for the Yankees. They acquired Juan Soto as a rental player. If they do not win the Commissioner's Trophy for the 28th time, it would be all for naught. Bringing in Bieber could be their best shot at filling the void left by Gerrit Cole after losing out on Dylan Cease.