The New York Yankees did a ton of work at the trade deadline.
But one thing the Yanks didn't end up with was more starting pitching, and there's a clear reason.
New York didn't want to give up its top prospects, namely George Lombard and Spencer Jones.
Here's the insight that insider Jon Heyman shared on X on Friday morning:
"Yankees declined to give up either Spencer Jones or George Lombard Jr. for Sandy Alcantara. Marlins control Alcantara and Edward Cabrera for multiple years after 2025 so they needed something big. Cubs and Red Sox tried hardest there but no one came especially close."
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Alcantara was one of the most popular names for much of trade season, although he was a confusing case.
A former NL Cy Young winner, Alcantara was not nearly as effective this season as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery.
His teammate, the younger Cabrera, had also become a popular name. It seemed like teams went to scout Alcantara and realized that Cabrera could get the job done, too.
In the end, neither of those pitchers moved, not just to the Yankees.
It'll be interesting to see whether the Yanks regret the lack of new starting pitching.
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They got plenty of pitching, all on the bullpen side.
David Bednar from the Pirates, Camilo Doval from the Giants and Jake Bird from the Rockies all came into the fold on Thursday before the deadline.
A super deep bullpen can mitigate some starting pitching issues, so maybe that's the Yankees' plan is to just throw the relievers as much as possible.
And they know their future is still bright, because the do-everything shortstop Lombard and the slugging outfielder Jones are still on their way to the Bronx.
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