Inside The Pinstripes

Multiple Potential Yankees Trade Targets Also Struggling To Start This Year

The New York Yankees need to make a trade for a pitcher, but their best options are also off to poor starts to the year.

Dylan Sanders

Mar 16, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Mar 16, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees desperately need pitching help, but their best options are also looking a bit off to start the year.

It has been known for a while that the Yankees would need to look around for pitching help, but now it is only getting more confusing on who will actually be a difference maker for them.

There are a couple of pitchers who would take a hefty amount to acquire but don't exactly look worth it right now. While they would undoubtedly be better options in the long run, it's hard to be too excited about chasing any of this group in their current form.

Dylan Cease

Cease has been the pitcher that New York has most publicly tried to get in the past. He has also had one of the weakest starts to the year of any star pitcher, which is a huge surprise.

The 29-year-old has had cold stretches before, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking to see for someone of his caliber.

He has made three starts and two of them have been very poor. His most recent outing, against the Athletics, was possibly the worst of his career where he surrendered nine hits and nine runs while walking three.

Cease’s ERA is up to 7.98.

Perhaps a change of scenery could be what he needs since something is clearly wrong right now.

Zac Gallen

Gallen, like Cease, is better than most pitchers who end up on the trade block.

He’s headed to free agency after the season, though, and is on a team that is already spending a ton of money on pitching.

The 29-year-old's velocity is down slightly and his Stuff+ ratings are down remarkably. With that, it's not too surprising that he is having issues with results.

Through three starts, he has a 5.28 ERA and a 4.7 BB/9.

Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara would still be the one out of this trio who would be worth paying a ton for, even if he has a 4.70 ERA through the first few games.

Unlike the other players mentioned, he could end up as a longer -erm solution. He is currently signed through the 2026 campaign and has a team option in 2027.

An eventual rotation of him, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole could be deadly.

Alcantara also has the best excuse for being a little shaky at times, seeing as though he missed all of last season with Tommy John surgery.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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