Yankees eyeing trade for another AL ace with Gerrit Cole situation in flux

With right around two weeks to go before Opening Day, the New York Yankees appear to be in scramble mode.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Tuesday that the Yankees have recently re-engaged with the Chicago White Sox and made a new trade offer for right-hander Dylan Cease. Nightengale adds that the Yankees are waiting for news on the injury situation of their own ace righty Gerrit Cole, who has sparked significant concern after recently having to undergo an MRI on his throwing elbow.

The former AL Cy Young runner-up Cease would be an ideal fill-in for the Yankees in the event that Cole needs to miss extended time. He is durable (with more than 165 innings pitched in each of the last three seasons) and has excellent swing-and-miss stuff. Cease also has two years of club control left and was widely shopped by the rebuilding Sox earlier this winter.

Still, Chicago may now be cooling on the idea of trading away Cease, so the Yankees would almost certainly have to give up at least top outfield prospect Spencer Jones to entice them (something that Nightengale says the Yankees are not willing to do yet). If the two sides cannot work out a deal for Cease, the Yankees might have to move to this top free-agent starter instead.