The New York Yankees declared themselves buyers ahead to the trade deadline, and properly so, given that they are currently tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East division lead. In a twist in the tale, the Yankees were reportedly dangling one of their big-league pieces, left-handed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, as they prepared to bring in pitching reinforcements, possibly in the form of Jack Flaherty.
In the end, the Yankees were unable to complete a trade for Flaherty. The 28-year-old righty was acquired from the Detroit Tigers by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who appear to be one step ahead of the Yankees in terms of key acquisitions.
The Yankees chose to keep Cortes after the deadline due to a lack of a suitable replacement. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, if the Yankees had acquired Jack Flaherty, they would have almost certainly transferred Nestor Cortes to the St. Louis Cardinals, maybe for infielder Tommy Edman. Nightengale even stated that the Yankees were “on the verge” of pulling off these moves.
He would have been a better option than Cortes, but the Yankees may take comfort in the knowledge that the 29-year-old southpaw isn’t a horrible pitcher himself.
