The Gerrit Cole trade winds have been swirling around the New York Yankees for weeks now, but there are still no signs of an official deal soon. It looks the team may have to avert their gaze on different pitchers on the trade market this off-season.
Sporting News' John Edwards has a few suggestions the team might want to consider.
First on the list is 29-year-old ace Chris Archer. The Tampa Bay Rays player has put together an outstanding six-year career so far and has established himself as one of Major League Baseball's best starting pitchers. Throughout his career, he has pitched to a 3.63 Earned Run Average and could just now be entering his prime.
The Rays, according to the publication, are not expected to compete next season after they traded Evan Longoria to San Francisco Giants in favor of Christian Arroyo, Denard Span, and minor leaguer pitchers Matt Krook and Stephen Woods. Thus, Yankees picking him would make sense, although they are division rivals in American League (AL) East.
Yankees may also consider Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Greinke as well, who Edwards described in his column as "arguably the best pitcher discussed in trade talks this offseason." However, his huge contract may be a problem. The New York team may not be able to afford Greinke's massive $206 million deal if they want to go after Bryce Harper after the 2018 season.
Patrick Corbin would be a good option as well if Yankees want a more value-oriented trade. According to Edwards, the intriguing part about Corbin is his ability to generate ground balls. He is notably the 7<sup>th highest GB% and 10<sup>th lowest FB% in the majors this year. As he explained, "MLB shifts more toward elevating balls and hitting home runs" so his ability becomes "more and more valuable."
