MLB trade rumors: Hal Steinbrenner says Yankees have money to trade for ...

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke with reporters at the Owners Meetings in Manhattan on Wednesday.

NEW YORK — The Yankees have the money to add an arm before the trade deadline, but there’s a different cost they might not be willing to pay.

At the Owners Meetings in Manhattan on Wednesday, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told reporters there’s cash in the budget to acquire pitching. The club also has an abundance of young talent it could include to sweeten deals, but Steinbrenner is hesitant to part with it, he said.

Hal Steinbrenner spoke to a small group of reporters. He said the team has the payroll flexibility to add a pitcher, but the cost in prospects could prove the bigger hurdle. He said that, like the fans, he loves the young guys.

— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) June 13, 2018

Hal Steinbrenner, via @DPLennon , on the Yankees adding a starter: “I think there’s definitely a need…We’ve got some flexibility payroll-wise, so the question is what’s going to be available and what are the asks. We purposely left a decent amount of money just for this.”

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) June 13, 2018

What the Yankees need: Pitching. Specifically, they need starting pitching. Luis Severino is the unquestioned ace and maybe a top-five starter in baseball. Behind him? A million question marks. Injuries to Masahiro Tanaka (two strained hamstrings) and Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery) have underscored the need for the team to at least add depth, if not just a high-quality arm.

Imagine Yankees’ lineup with Harper

What the Yankees have: Steinbrenner said money won’t be the issue, which is interesting, considering Steinbrenner’s stated goal to stay beneath the league’s $197 million luxury tax threshold. Refresher: The Yankees are getting hit with the harshest penalty the league doles out for spending over the threshold — 50 cents on every buck over the mark — because they have exceeded it for so many years in a row. By getting under $197 million this season, they would incur a significantly lower penalty if they were to spend over it next season. Back of the napkin math puts the Yankees’ current payroll at about $185 million. That would seem like a lot of wiggle room.

What the Yankees don’t want to give up: High-level prospects. Reportedly, when the Yankees and Pirates were discussing a potential deal for Gerrit Cole last offseason, three top prospects — outfielder Estevan Florial, starting pitcher Justus Sheffield and third baseman Miguel Andujar — were off limits. Andujar has made himself even more valuable with his huge rookie season in the majors and Sheffield and Florial are still considered high-level talents. But the Yankees have plenty of prospect depth. They were willing to talk about dealing outfielder Clint Frazier last offseason. Pitcher Chance Adams, shortstop Tyler Wade and pitcher Domingo Acevedo also seem like potential trade candidates among a slew of them.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.