Where Yankees Go After Missing Another Pitcher

The New York Yankees' search for another arm in the starting rotation continues.

The New York Mets have traded for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, Chad Jennings and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported on Jan. 21.

The trade also includes 27-year-old starting pitcher Tobias Myers to the Mets in return for pitching prospect Brandon Sproat, 25, and infielder/ center fielder prospect Jett Williams, 22, per the report. Williams was the Mets' No. 3 prospect and Sproat was their No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Both New York teams, plus the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves were reportedly in the mix for Peralta, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Jan. 18.

Sep 22, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Yankees Still Searching Another Starter

The Yankeees' projected Opening Day starting rotation is Max Fried, Will Warren, Luis Gill, Cam Schlittler and newly-acquired Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón continue to recover from their injuries and are expected to return at some point during the season, while Clarke Schmidt appears to be questionable to play in 2026.

The Yankees have been in the mix for Peralta since the New Year. What has made Peralta so attractive to teams wasn't only his 2.70 ERA, 17-6 record, 204 strikeouts, 1.08 WHIP and career-high 5.5 WAR in 2025 — he's also on the final year of a very team-friendly deal and is set to earn $8 million in 2026.

Sammon and Ken Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic on Jan. 15 that the Brewers were looking for "a young, major-league ready replacement" in return for Peralta. The Yankees now have four major league starters who are 27 years old or younger, with Weathers, Gil, Schlittler and Warren.

May 20, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Weathers (35) looks on against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Outfielders Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones, the No. 4 prospect in the Yankees' system, also could have been potential trade pieces for Peralta, with Cody Bellinger returning on a five-year, $162.5 million deal on Jan. 21.

Where Do the Yankees Go From Here?

Luckily for the Yankees, there are still options, but they are becoming few and far between.

The most recent backup plan to become popularized is trading for Washington Nationals' ace MacKenzie Gore. Gore, 26, is coming off a 2025 All-Star campagin were he had a 3.0 WAR, 5-15 record, 4.17 ERA, 185 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP in 159.2 innings and 30 starts.

Aug 21, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) throws to the New York Mets during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers seems more likely to be traded after each day passes of the two party's arbritation dispute. However, Buster Olney said on the "Just Baseball" podcast on Jan. 19 that the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to also be in the mix for the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner.

"The Dodgers are like the rich person who walks into a Lamborghini story and is like, 'You know what? I like the red one, but I also like the gold one.' They're like, "We'll just take them all and we're not embarrassed by it," Olney said.

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