The New York Yankees have faced significant injury challenges this spring training, with their pitching rotation taking a major hit. Gerrit Cole will miss the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Luis Gil is sidelined for three months with a high-grade lat strain.
Given these setbacks, could the Yankees explore the trade market for starting pitchers, and might the Chicago Cubs be a good match? Michael DeFrancisco of Heavy suggests that Cubs starter Jameson Taillon could be a target for the Yankees.
Taillon, a former Yankee who played for the team in 2021 and 2022, had a strong 2024 season, posting a 12-8 record with a 3.27 ERA and a 122 ERA+ across 28 starts. FanGraphs projects Taillon as the Cubs’ third starter in 2025, behind Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele.
DeFrancisco believes the Cubs would likely seek additional pitchers in return, with Will Warren being a potential name of interest. However, the Yankees may hesitate to trade away any valuable rotation pieces given their current injury situation.
At 33 years old, Taillon remains an above-average pitcher, though there’s no certainty he will replicate his 2024 success in 2025. Before 2024, Taillon’s ERA+ of 106 or higher hadn’t been seen since 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he posted a 122 ERA+. Given their injury-riddled rotation, the Yankees might consider making a trade earlier in the season to bolster their pitching staff.
A key question remains whether the Cubs would be willing to part with Taillon, who has two years left on his contract and will be a free agent after the 2026 season. In December, the Cubs and Yankees completed a trade that sent 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger to New York in exchange for right-hander Cody Poteet and cash.
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