New York Yankees MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Acquiring Gerrit Cole Is 'a Matter of When Rather Than If'
The New York Yankees are currently working on a deal to acquire Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole and it may only be a matter of time before they land him.
According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, the two sides are still haggling over the final details, but a source has informed him that a deal was "a matter of when rather than if."
It's not clear whom the Yankees would send to Pittsburgh in the deal, but Passan said they were unlikely to part ways with top prospect Gleyber Torres since they see him as a long-term solution at second base after they shipped Starlin Castro to Miami as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade.
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Even if they don't include Torres in the package for Cole, the Yankees are reportedly confident they can land the starting pitcher.
"While the inclusion of Torres, a shortstop prospect, is seen by some as unlikely, one source said even if the Yankees stand firm on not including him, 'there's enough to work with that a deal seems likely,'" Passan said in his report.
Previous reports have indicated that the Yankees are building a package around outfielder Clint Frazier.
If the Yankees land Cole, he will be joining a rotation that already includes Luis Severino, Sonny Gray, Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia and Jordan Montgomery.
Both sides are still negotiating as of the moment, per Passan. However, there's also the possibility of another team swooping in if they can't come to terms with the Pirates, so the Yankees can't afford to wait too long.
"Should the Yankees not finalize a deal for Cole, one source expects another team to step up and Cole to be moved within the week. It would represent the first step in the rebuilding of the Pirates, who also could move franchise outfielder Andrew McCutchen during the winter, according to sources," Passan stated.
