Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees See Glimmer of Hope in Potential $108 Million Blockbuster Trade

The Yankees are dealing with a series of pitching woes, but could have a light at the end of the tunnel with this potential blockbuster deal.

Derek Hryn

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
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 / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees' bullpen has taken a major hit ahead of 2025 Opening Day. With unexpected hiccups as they try to reach the World Series for consecutive years, the Yankees are looking into trades to bolster the pitching rotation.

Starting the season without Gerrit Cole, who won't return until at least 2026 because of Tommy John surgery, is already proving to be a huge challenge to overcome defensively. Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil are on the injured list, which leaves even more concern over how the Yankees will fare in April.

FanSided's Christopher Kline recently floated the idea of the Yankees acquiring Cease in a blockbuster trade, with the San Diego Padres, (via Newsweek).

"Should the Padres bite the bullet and float Cease on the trade market — and let's be clear, the Padres will not be able to afford Cease as a free agent — the Yankees are an obvious fit," Kline wrote. "New York would then need to worry about paying all three of Cole, Fried, and Cease, but it's a price worth paying for World Series contention. The 29-year-old packs elite strikeout stuff and has been impressively durable in recent years."

General manager Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office plan to "explore" options to help the Yankees defeat the adversity. That said, he is also realistic about the chances of a quick solution because of their current commitments, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

“We’ll just evaluate what’s available, and this time of year, very little is available,” Cashman said on March 11, following the Cole injury news. “Normally, the more significant opportunities don’t exist until the Trade Deadline.

“When we’ve had these conversations many a time over, you hope you can withstand injuries and avoid injuries early from Spring Training up through the Draft, because going outside the organization is just that much more difficult to do. So we’ll rely on what we have, and we’ll explore what is limited available in the marketplace.”

Cease is due for a big payday at the end of the season when he enters free agency. He's expected to ink something in the realm of five years, $108.8 million, per Spotrac. The 29-year-old hurler arrived to San Diego in March 2024 after being traded from the Chicago White Sox.

After recording 14 wins in 33 starts last season, Cease would be a seamless fit alongside Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, Marcus Stroman, Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco on the active depth chart.

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Derek Hryn
DEREK HRYN

Derek Hryn is a writer for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated network, with extensive experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball, as well as providing expert fantasy football analysis. Over the years, Derek’s work has been featured in prominent publications and networks such as ClutchPoints, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, DK and SB Nation. A former athlete in basketball, baseball and football, Derek draws on his deep understanding of the game to enrich his writing. He is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, and one of the devoted believers in The Process.

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