Yankees All-Star Will Be On Trade Block; Could New York Pull Off Blockbuster?

Could the Yankees actually trade the All-Star in the near future?

Apr 16, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; A bucket of baseballs sits on the field prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports / Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is behind us at this point in the season.

There were months of speculation and it culminated in what was a pretty exciting deadline. There was some star power on the move and the New York Yankees got better. New York acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. in a trade with the Miami Marlins and he has been great so far for the club. The Yankees also added some bullpen depth.

New York had a successful trade deadline but unsurprisingly there were much more rumors than actual deals made. The Yankees were looking for some help for the starting rotation and Nestor Cortes was mentioned in trade rumors.

The Yankees decided to hang on to Cortes, but he was called New York's most likely trade candidate in 2025 by Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer.

"As reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Yankees were planning on trading Cortes upon acquiring Jack Flaherty at the deadline," Rymer said. "Which, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, nearly happened before Flaherty's medicals scared the Yankees away.

"Cortes is still in pinstripes as a result, but he shouldn't get too comfortable. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt all slated to return in 2025, the Yankees will have an excuse to view Cortes as the odd man out this winter."

He has been an All-Star with the Yankees but has a 4.42 ERA this season in a league-leading 24 starts. If the Yankees can get some value for him and improve the rotation, they already have shown that they're willing to make a move.

It seemed like the Yankees could end up flipping Cortes for someone like Flaherty but a deal didn't get done. This could change in the offseason and it wouldn't be shocking to see Cortes included in a blockbuster trade for a star.

More MLB: Yankees Pull Off Deal With Blue Jays To Add Depth Outfielder, Per Insider