The New York Yankees are in the middle of an intense race for the postseason, but one ace is expected to be available in free agency.
With Gerrit Cole leading the starting rotation, there are some big question marks behind him. Carlos Rodon has been solid over the last month — save for his most recent start — while the rest of the rotation has been shaky since the middle of the June.
What kind of splash move the Yankees can make in free agency to add another starter remains to be seen if they re-sign Juan Soto to a historic deal.
However, the Yankees could be in the market for two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell given the expectation that he opts out of his current contract, according to Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report.
"The Yankees were repeatedly linked to Snell last winter and they reportedly circled back to him ahead of the trade deadline. Yet Snell himself has indicated that the Yankees low-balled him last offseason, and their focus this winter will surely be on not low-balling Juan Soto."
Granted, the Yankees were the No. 10 team on the list out of 10 teams. Rymer also predicted that a "six-year contract in the neighborhood of $200 million" could be available for Snell in free agency.
After a slow start, Snell has been incredible since the start of July. In eight starts during that span, he has 1.03 ERA with 70 strikeouts, 16 walks and a 0.69 WHIP in 52.1 innings. That stretch, of course, includes the no-hitter he threw.
If that's the case, it would be a difficult move for the Yankees to re-sign Soto to a massive deal while also dishing out a hefty contract for Snell unless they defer money later, which is always a risk.
With that said, the Yankees still need to improve the rotation this offseason. Since June 15, they have a 5.45 ERA, which is the second-worst in Major League Baseball ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (5.71).
Snell should be one of the biggest names on the market this offseason, and the Yankees are already being linked as a potential landing spot.
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