The Yankees didn’t pull off a trade for Matt Olson, but they are reportedly still in discussions with the A’s about other potential trade chips, as Oakland continues its fire sale that has also seen Matt Chapman moved to Toronto.
According to MLB insider Robert Murray, the Yanks and A’s “have been talking,” likely about Oakland’s two coveted pitching pieces in Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. The Yankees could certainly use some pitching depth, as the rotation beyond Gerrit Cole is loaded with question marks. Luis Severino is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and has injury history stretching back to 2019. Jameson Taillon is hoping to be ready for Opening Day following ankle surgery, and Domingo German could start the year on the IL due to shoulder troubles.
Manaea, a 30-year-old lefty, is in his third year of arbitration and is coming off a strong season which he pitched to a 3.91 ERA in a league-high 32 starts. He pitched two complete games, also the most in the majors, and struck out 194 batters in 179.1 innings of work. Over his six big-league seasons, he holds a 3.86 ERA over 727 innings.
Montas, who turns 29 next week, is in his second year of arbitration and is coming off a stellar 2021 campaign, where he turned in a 3.37 ERA in 187 innings of work over 32 starts, matching Manaea’s mark. He struck out 207 batters in that span, and has a 3.86 ERA in 448 innings over his six-year career. The righty had never logged more than 96 innings in a season before last year.
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