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Pittsburgh Pirates: Six Potential Joe Musgrove Trade Partners

By Noah Wright

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 20: Joe Musgrove #59 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 20: Joe Musgrove #59 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 09: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees is taken out of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning in Game Five of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 09, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 09: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees is taken out of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning in Game Five of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 09, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

New York Yankees

Former Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole will lead the charge for the New York Yankees’ starting rotation in 2021 with a supporting cast of prospects like Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt. However, they, like the Jays, also will have a few questions about their starting five.

For one, how will Luis Severino fare after his return from Tommy John surgery? After establishing himself as an ace-level pitcher in 2017 and 2018, Severino missed nearly all of 2019, and was forced to undergo TJ surgery at the beginning of 2020. A trio of veterans in Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ will hit free agency.

Tanaka has been a solid pitcher for the Yankees, but hasn’t had an ace-like season since 2016. James Paxton has shown ace ability, but is a very big injury risk. Happ was extremely inconsistent in 2020, and put up poor numbers in 2019.

The Yankees are going to be relying on a handful of young pitchers to hold down the fort in the starting rotation. Garcia and Schmidt have yet to graduate prospect status. The uncertainty surrounding Severino doesn’t help either. With three veteran starters hitting free agency, and the Yankees already having a loaded payroll with two monstrous contracts on it, they’re likely not going to be heavily chasing top flight arms in free agency.

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