Yankees Turned Down This Pablo López Trade Offer From Marlins at Deadline

Should the Yankees have made this deal for another starting pitcher ahead of the trade deadline?

OAKLAND — Now that the dust has settled weeks after this year's trade deadline, new details have emerged from negotiations between the Marlins and Yankees regarding a possible Pablo López deal.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Miami offered López and veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas to New York in exchange for shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza and second baseman Gleyber Torres.

"The Yankees thought the price too steep," Rosenthal wrote.

Ultimately, López was not moved before the deadline. If that reported offer is any indication of the Marlins' asking price from other contenders in López trade talks, it's no surprise. 

López is under team control for another two years, flashing ace-caliber stuff at times this season in Miami (3.66 ERA over 25 starts). He's stumbled recently, however, posting a 6.00 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. López has also dealt with high barrel rates all year, producing the highest xERA (3.90) and xBA (.244) he's had since his age-23 season in 2019.

Forfeiting a top prospect like Peraza would've made more sense in a deal for a starting pitcher like Luis Castillo (who was traded from the Reds to the Mariners ahead of this month's deadline). That's not to say López isn't worthy of high-quality prospects—Miami was smart to hold off on a trade, waiting until they got the proper value back for their No. 2 starter—but as of now, it seems as though general manager Brian Cashman was wise to keep his finger off the trigger here.

Remember, Cashman and the Yankees were still willing to invest prospects at the deadline. They just chose to dip into their pitching depth, rather than moving their highest-ranked prospects (all position players). New York parted ways with four talented pitching prospects across trades for starter Frankie Montas, reliever Lou Trivino and reliever Scott Effross (who was recently placed on the injured list).

With Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes hurt—and ex-Yankee Jordan Montgomery looking like a Cy Young candidate with the Cardinals—the short-term optics of missing out on a López trade aren't great. New York could certainly use another top arm in their rotation right now. Instead, they're turning to Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt (who is deserving of an opportunity, but that's another conversation entirely). 

Torres' involvement in this discussion is particularly intriguing as well. His future with the organization is unclear with his dip in production over the last few years and the presence of several middle infielders knocking on the door in the farm system. Besides, Torres is 25 and only under contract for two more years. 

Trading Peraza's future for two-plus seasons of López would've been a risk. Also, losing Torres would've forced the Yankees to use Rojas, a 33-year-old that's hitting .231/.281/.330 this season. Granted, Rojas is a quality defender, posting positive metrics at all four infield positions, especially shortstop.

MORE:

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• Why Nestor Cortes Landing on Injured List Can 'Serve Him Well'
• JP Sears Excited to Face Former Team After 'Surprising' Trade

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