Minor League Baseball

New York Yankees Pitching Prospect Will Warren Drew Trade Interest, Per Report

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that multiple teams tried to trade for Will Warren this offseason, but the pitcher is now gunning for a spot in the New York Yankees' rotation.
Sam Connon|
Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (98) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark.
Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (98) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York Yankees

For all the blockbuster moves the New York Yankees made this winter, the one they didn't make could prove to be just as critical to their success in 2025.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, multiple teams tried to trade for Yankees pitching prospect Will Warren over the offseason. It is unknown how seriously New York's front office entertained moving the 25-year-old right-hander, but they seemingly believed in him enough to not pull the trigger on any deals they may have been presented with.

The Yankees lost former AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole for the season when he underwent an internal brace procedure on his elbow this week, shortly after reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil got sidelined with a strained lat. That left two unexpected openings in the club's big league rotation, and Warren has emerged as a leading candidate to fill one of them.

MLB Pipeline has Warren ranked as the No. 5 prospect and No. 2 pitcher in the Yankees' farm system in their updated preseason rankings.

Warren made his MLB debut in 2024, going 0-3 with a 10.32 ERA, 1.897 WHIP and -1.2 WAR across six appearances. He hardly fared any better in Triple-A, either, where he went 6-5 with a 5.91 ERA and 1.395 WHIP in 23 starts.

Between the 2022 and 2023 minor league campaigns, though, Warren went 19-13 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.275 WHIP. He has flashed even better production this spring, going 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 0.600 WHIP through 11.2 innings of Grapefruit League action.

Warren was the Yankees' eighth round pick out of Southeastern Louisiana in 2021.

Related MiLB Stories

  • WILLIAMS TALKS SMACK: After Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer hit a home run in Spring Breakout, Rays shortstop Carson Williams knew he had to respond. CLICK HERE
  • CHURCH SHOWS OFF CANNON: Cardinals top prospect Nathan Church fired a record-breaking outfield assist to home plate in his team's Spring Breakout game. CLICK HERE
  • BIG 3 ALL GO YARD: Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony each hit home runs in the Red Sox's Spring Breakout contest on Thursday night. CLICK HERE

Follow MiLB On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Minor League Baseball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published | Modified
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

Home/NEWS