New York Yankees general manager added to the starting rotation by trading for Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton. Will Cashman sign Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin or southpaw J.A. Happ? What about Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado and Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper?
Step one for the Yankees was taking care of their own, by re-signing Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia.
Step two was trading for a starting pitcher in James Paxton.
Step three for Brian Cashman is anyone’s guess.
He says the Yankees need more starting pitching, with arms like Patrick Corbin and J.A. Happ on the free agent market.
But the Yankees have been linked time and again to the best available bats: Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.
So how does this all play out?
MLB Trade Rumors conducted a poll with almost 7,000 readers guessing which free agents will land where.
According to the results, the Yankees will land two more arms, but miss on the two bats.
Analysis below provided by MLB.com:
Patrick Corbin, LHP
MLBTR reader prediction: Yankees (74.8%)
Other teams receiving votes: Phillies (3.1%), Astros (3.0%), Brewers (2.5%), Angels (2.4%), Braves (2.1%), Cardinals (1.4%), Nationals (1.4%), Diamondbacks (1.4%), Cubs (1.2%), Giants (1.1%)
Even after pulling off a blockbuster trade by getting lefty James Paxton from the Mariners, the Yankeees still are very much in play for another starting pitcher, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi.
Between that and the natural fit Corbin — an in-his-prime strikeout artist left-hander who grew up as a Yankees fan — appears to be for New York, well, just about everyone in the poll (nearly 75 percent!) sees this as a foregone conclusion.
J.A. Happ, LHP
MLBTR reader prediction: Yankees (30.9%)
Other teams receiving votes: Blue Jays (9.2%), Angels (8.2%), Brewers (6.5%), Phillies (4.7%), Astros (4.4%), Nationals (3.7%), Twins (3.1%), Athletics (3.1%), Braves (2.6%), Cubs (2.5%), White Sox (2.4%), Cardinals (2.3%), Reds (2.2%), Giants (1.7%), Mariners (1.7%), Dodgers (1.5%), Padres (1.2%), Diamondbacks (1.2%), Red Sox (1.1%), Rangers (1.0%), Indians (1.0%)
Remember how we mentioned above that the Yankees were going to be in on another starter even after getting Paxton? Well, this outcome would make that true. Of course, the voting came before that trade was made, so there’s a good chance the results here would differ some.
Otherwise, if all of the poll’s outcomes came true, it would mean New York’s rotation would have added or re-signed four lefties since the start of the offseason: CC Sabathia, Paxton, Corbin and Happ, who would be returning after the Yanks acquired him from the Blue Jays at the non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Bryce Harper, OF
MLBTR reader prediction: Phillies (34.0%)
Other teams receiving votes: Dodgers (13.1%), Nationals (10.8%), Giants (9.8%), Cubs (8.5%), Cardinals (7.9%), White Sox (6.0%), Yankees (4.2%), Braves (1.4%), Astros (1.4%), Angels (1.1%)
Manny Machado, SS/3B
MLBTR reader prediction: Phillies (45.8%)
Other teams receiving votes: Yankees (36.5%), White Sox (5.0%), Dodgers (4.0%), Cardinals (1.9%), Mets (1.5%), Cubs (1.3%)
Dallas Keuchel, LHP
MLBTR reader prediction: Astros (16.4%)
Other teams receiving votes: Angels (13.8%), Nationals (13.5%), Brewers (9.9%), Yankees (8.2%), Phillies (6.2%), Braves (6.0%), Cardinals (4.1%), Reds (3.1%), Dodgers (2.1%), Cubs (2.1%), Giants (2.0%), Padres (1.9%), Rangers (1.5%), White Sox (1.4%), Twins (1.2%), Mariners (1.2%), Athletics (1.2%), Red Sox (1.1%)
Nathan Eovaldi, RHP
MLBTR reader prediction: Red Sox (51.5%)
Other teams receiving votes: Brewers (5.6%), Astros (4.3%), Yankees (4.0%), Angels (3.6%), Padres (3.2%), Phillies (3.0%), Braves (2.8%), Dodgers (2.4%), Reds (2.3%), Nationals (2.1%), Cubs (2.0%), Giants (2.0%), Cardinals (1.6%), White Sox (1.4%), Rangers (1.3%), Twins (1.1%), Athletics (1.0%)
Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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