As the New York Yankees continue to scour the trade market following the latest disaster by a member of their rotation, the team’s scouts will have their eyes on a top arm on Friday.
According to SportsNet New York’s Andy Martino, the Yankees remain interested in New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and scouts will evaluate him in his first start back from the injured list.
Wheeler returns to the mound on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates after missing several weeks with fatigue in his right shoulder. If Wheeler doesn’t suffer any setbacks during the start and remains available, then the Yankees will reportedly engage with the Mets on a potential deal.
It’s worth noting that the Mets have reportedly considered keeping Wheeler and signing him to a multi-year extension. However, that would require the team to line up a trade involving Noah Syndergaard and Wheeler might still want to test free agency this offseason.
While Wheeler’s 4.69 ERA this season might raise some concern, the Yankees will likely believe they can take advantage of his pure talent and help him get back to the level we saw in 2018 when he recorded a 3.31 ERA across 29 starts.