The two teams in last year’s World Series could not be in more different situations regarding their starting rotations for the upcoming season.
The New York Yankees lost ace Gerrit Cole to Tommy John Surgery, and Luis Gil will be out for at least three months with a high-grade lat strain. Due to those injuries, prospect Will Warren is projected to start the year as the No. 5 starter in the rotation, and 38-year-old veteran Carlos Carrasco will also make the Opening Day roster.
The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers have a surplus of starting pitching depth, leaving them no other option but to send young starters like Bobby Miller and Landon Knack to the minors. There’s not enough room on the 26-man roster for everyone to stick around.
However, many would consider the Dodgers’ extra arms a good problem. Would the front office be willing to part ways with one of the young starters like Emmet Sheehan?
Sheehan, 25, could be a name the Yankees would show interest in if the Dodgers made him available in trade talks. He posted a 4.92 ERA in 60.1 innings in 2023 and will begin the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list while he recovers from his Tommy John Surgery last May.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning for game one of the NLDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning for game one of the NLDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
If the Dodgers prefer the Yankees’ position players, No. 17 prospect Rafael Flores and 2019 21st overall MLB Draft pick Braden Shewmake could pique the Dodgers’ interest.
The catcher and first baseman Flores performed well at Double-A Somerset in 2024, slugging .519 with 15 home runs and 33 RBIs in 66 games. MLB.com estimates his arrival to MLB as soon as 2026.
The shortstop Shewmake is on the Yankees’ 40-man roster but will start the season in the minors. He’s yet to receive a substantial MLB opportunity, playing 29 games with the Chicago White Sox in 2024. He was named the 2017 SEC Freshman of the Year by Texas A&M University.
In this trade, the Yankees help support their starting pitching depth at the MLB level, and the Dodgers add a prospect that could provide power at the backup catcher position as early as next season.
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