Yankees Should Have Higher Trade Hopes for Will Warren

On Sunday night a deal uncharacteristic of Brian Cashman was reported, and it didn't seem like one the New York Yankees would make.

New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren could be a player that general manager Brian Cashman could move ahead of the deadline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a few hours last night, it seemed like general manager Brian Cashman was making a desperate bid to improve the bullpen. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the New York Yankees offered Will Warren to the San Diego Padres for Adrian Morejon, and it was the kind of deal that seemed uncharacteristic of the general manager.

In all of his years with the organization, there haven't been many instances of him trading a big-league starter for a two-month relief rental.

According to reports from The Athletic, the deal actually never materialized. Brendan Kuty wrote that someone within the Yankees nixed what Nightengale put out.

"Not so, said a team source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations," Kuty reports. "The Yankees never even made a Warren-for-Morejon formal offer to the Padres, as was relayed in a published report on Sunday that the source called inaccurate."

Adrian Morejon may end up with the Yankees at some point before the trade deadline, but it shouldn't be one-for-one for a pitcher like Warren, who has 4.5 years of control before he hits free agency. Yankee fans may be frustrated with Warren at times, but quality big league innings are valuable these days.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Adrian Morejon was reportedly mentioned in a trade rumor with the New York Yankees. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The type of deal Will Warren should go for

If Cashman is going to deal Warren, it should at least be for a player with more control than a few months, and potentially the headline package for a more impactful piece. One name that comes to mind is Adley Rutschman, who the Orioles seem intent on dealing. Rutschman doesn't match Warren's 4.5 years of control, but the Yankees would have him under control until next season — if there is a next season.

Even if the Yankees don't end up trading Warren before the deadline, they still shouldn't sell low on him this winter. It's not to say that Morejon is bad. He'd dramatically improve the Yankee pen. At the same time, Warren should command something a little bigger.

Plus, Warren still has a few more years to pitch at a higher level than the bottom-of-the-rotation arm he has been, and any team inquiring about him will have until 2031 to see if they can unlock that next gear.

The Orioles have struggled with pitching for years, and that was ultimately their downfall in their last rebuild. Someone like Warren can be an intriguing candidate for them, even if they're sending what was once a cornerstone piece to one of their bitter rivals.

They already have Samuel Basallo, and Rutschman is the odd man out at this point. It's a situation where Cashman can really capitalize here and offer up a deal that works for both sides.