The New York Yankees ended Memorial Day with the second-best record in the American League and a commanding six-game lead in the AL East.
While they’ve been able to remain atop the standings, their biggest concern has been in the starting rotation.
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Just before the start of the season, ace Gerrit Cole was forced to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The team also lost last year’s Rookie of the Year in Luis Gil, who won’t be back until sometime in the middle of the summer due to a lat injury.
The rotation has been headlined by Max Fried — the offseason signing who has been arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball this year — and Carlos Rodon. However, behind those two players, it’s been a struggle.
Will Warren has a 4.09 ERA across 50.2 innings (11 starts). Clarke Schmidt has a 4.58 ERA across 37.1 innings (seven starts). Marcus Stroman had an 11.57 ERA over three starts before being placed on the injured list.
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With all that being said, MLB Network’s Dan O’Dowd — a former MLB general manager — came up with three hypothetical trades he wants to see happen, and one of them involved the Yankees acquiring an ace from a huge AL rival.
O’Dowd wants to see the Yankees acquire Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez in what would be a surprise trade between two AL rivals.
“These two teams don’t make deals, that goes back a long way, so this one probably never is gonna happen,” O’Dowd said.
“But (Valdez) complements the Yankees rotation really well — strike thrower, heavy sinker ball guy. I think he matches another left-hander in their rotation to go with Fried and Rodon. I do think they need to add a starting pitcher to their rotation.”
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Nolan Arenado
Cubs!?Bo Bichette
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— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 23, 2025
Valdez is in the midst of yet another strong season as he’s developed into one of the premier aces in the league.
Across 11 starts, the left-hander has a 3.39 ERA over 69 innings pitched.
Last year, he went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA over 176.1 innings. Across his eight-year career, he’s accrued a 3.31 ERA, earning two All-Star selections and receiving Cy Young votes in four different seasons.
Valdez would be a great addition to a Yankees rotation in need of a third reliable pitcher — however, like O’Dowd says, it’s unlikely Houston would trade him to a team they may have to face in October.
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