Breaking: At the deadline, the Yankees trade former All-star pitcher.
At the last minute, General Manager Brian Cashman withdrew from the Yankees’ agreement to acquire Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers. Despite pitching a perfect six innings in his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Flaherty was seen as a possible liability due to a perceived lack of value.
The Yankees Lost Out on a Chance with Flaherty
Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman’s declining play made Flaherty an invaluable player for the Yankees and an important postseason weapon.
But there were whispers that Cashman had thought about transferring their seasoned lefty starter, Cortes, who is 29 years old. This season, he has thrown 134.1 innings with a 4.42 ERA, 8.31 strikeouts per nine, 73.1% left on base, and a 30.4% ground ball rate. Cortes has deteriorated over the last two seasons, walking the fewest batters of his career while still allowing 1.41 home runs per nine.
Future Choices Regarding Cortes
Before Cortes, who will be 31 years old in 2026, becomes a free agent, he has one more year of team control. By then, not many teams will be willing to pay a high price for his services, and it’s possible that the Yankees will trade him this winter anyhow.
Health Issues Obstacle Purchase
Bob Nightingale of USA Today feels that Cortes would have been traded if the Yankees had signed Flaherty. Sadly, Flaherty’s medical reports were troubling since, in early July, he had two lower back injections, which left the Bombers with a tough choice to make.
Assessing the Current Value of Cortes
As Cortes’s numbers have declined and he just has one year left of control remaining, he is no longer very valuable. Even so, a team in need of a starting pitcher might recognize his potential and sign him to a cheap contract so he can be a back-end rotation arm.
The Yankees’ Aspirations for the Postseason
The Yankees are counting largely on Carlos Rodon, who inked a $162 million contract in 2023, Gerrit Cole, and rookie Luis Gil to step up and handle the load. Even though Cortes has given up at least three earned runs in his previous five appearances—including six against the Angels on Thursday night—the Yankees still have a few weeks to rediscover their groove before the postseason arrives.
