Yankees lost out on pitcher who’s regained ace status with Astros

BOSTON — On July 6, 2014, the Yankees acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Diamondbacks, struggling for a year and a half at that juncture, and convinced him to start using his cut fastball again. The right-hander excelled enough in a pinstriped half-season that the Dodgers lured him away the subsequent winter for a four-year, $48-million…