Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Hurler Considered Most Likely to Be Traded This Offseason

A typically reliable New York Yankees pitcher could get dealt away this winter.

Grant Young

Sep 1, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (65) reacts after giving up a two run home run to St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Luken Baker (26) in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Sep 1, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (65) reacts after giving up a two run home run to St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Luken Baker (26) in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes did not end his 2024 season in a way both he and Yankees fans were hoping for.

After being placed on the injured list on September 25 due to a left elbow flexor strain, Cortes ultimately made his return to New York just in time for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He entered Game 1 of the World Series in the bottom of the tenth inning, got Shohei Ohtani to fly out, then conceded a walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman one pitch later.

And a November 18 article from Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly suggests this might be the final thing Yankees fans remember Cortes by, since Kelly considers him the Yankees player who's most likely to be traded this offseason.

"USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees nearly dealt Cortes 'perhaps to St. Louis for infielder Tommy Edman' prior to the trade deadline, but elected to hold onto him when concerns about a back injury halted a deal that would have brought Jack Flaherty to New York," Kelly wrote.

"Instead, Flaherty and Edman both wound up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated Cortes and the Yankees in the World Series. Cortes returned from a left elbow flexor strain in time to... give up a walk-off home run to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the World Series.

"With Gerrit Cole still in the fold, Cortes may be the odd man out in a rotation that also includes Luis Gil, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt," Kelly continued. "Cortes has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility before free agency, and given that he posted a 3.77 ERA across 174.1 innings pitched, there should be quite a few suitors."

Given that Cortes has been one of the Yankees' most reliable pitchers in recent years, it would be tough to see him leave New York on such a sour note.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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