With five days until the trade deadline, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s phone will stay plenty busy.
Looks like it was working well into Friday night, too.
The Yankees and Blue Jays have continued talks for starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted. He added that it’s unclear if momentum has been made in the discussions.
There would seem to be a logical fit, when it comes to the Yankees, Blue Jays and Stroman.
Why it could work for the Yankees: Cashman wants to give manager Aaron Boone another starting pitcher. (He probably wouldn’t mind improving the bullpen, too.) Stroman might represent the best available arm on the market. He’s posted a 2.96 ERA over 21 starts. While Stroman doesn’t have the strikeout stuff the Yankees often look for in high-level pitchers, he’s a groundball machine, and that works at bandbox Yankee Stadium. Stroman also won’t be a free agent until after next season, so they might get two playoff runs out of him.
Why it could work for the Blue Jays: Toronto needs talent badly and the Yankees have a bevy of youngsters they could send to Canada. While it seems highly unlikely they would trade top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia for Stroman, maybe they would be willing to part with flamethrowing Albert Abreu, oft-injured but talented Jonathan Loaisiga or Luis Gil, who dominated at Low-A Charleston.
Why Stroman wouldn’t mind it: Stroman grew up in Long Island and he’s talked over and over about how he doesn’t shy from the spotlight or big-pressure situations — declarations that seem almost directed at the Bronx.
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.