NEW YORK (WFAN) — The Yankees failed to land Yu Darvish in free agency. So now what?
WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, also of FanRag Sports, joined “The Afternoon Drive” on Monday to answer that very question. If the Yankees add a starting pitcher, Heyman sees one clear front-runner: Alex Cobb.
“I think they will look at Cobb,” Heyman said. “I think they like Cobb. He’d be the guy probably, most likely.”
With the Tampa Bay Rays last season, Cobb, a 30-year-old right-hander, was 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ Alex Cobb pitches against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 22, 2017, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Heyman said he doesn’t believe the Yankees can fit Jake Arrieta under the luxury-tax threshold. Heyman also said he hasn’t heard much buzz about New York being interested in Lance Lynn to date.
He added that Tampa Bay has some of the best trade options for starting pitching — Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi — but he doesn’t see the Rays working out a deal the Yankees, a division rival.
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Heyman also said he believes the Mets are interested in adding another starting pitcher.
“I do think they’re looking for a deal,” he said. “I’m not sure if they’re going to get one. As everybody I think has said, it would be kind of a surprise if they added Lynn or Cobb. There’s still other guys out there. They definitely need someone that’s going to eat up some innings, whether that be a (Jason) Vargas or Jaime Garcia or (Jeremy) Hellickson or somebody like that. I can easily see that.
“Me personally, this is a big market — the biggest market. I think they have an opportunity. They’ve done some good stuff. I love (Todd) Frazier and (Jay) Bruce. I think they should play for Cobb or Lynn, I really do.”
To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.
