Yankees Probably Should've Topped Incredibly Weak Rangers Trade Offer for Corey Kluber

No, the Yankees don't necessarily need to use their resources on another ace-type starter after signing Gerrit Cole.

But if it took these few resources? That's a bit different.

Corey Kluber is taking his two Cy Young Awards to Texas, as the Rangers acquired him from the Cleveland Indians before the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Angels could make an offer that satisfied GM Chris Antonetti. The Rangers only gave up outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and hard-throwing righty Emmanuel Clase in a trade that the Yankees could've topped in their sleep.

So the going rate for a guy who won two Cy Youngs in the last decade and is just a year removed from finishing third in Cy Young voting is a .249 hitter with a 72 OPS+ and a guy with 23 innings at the big league level (ranking 30th on Texas' top prospects list)? And you mean to tell me the Yankees couldn't flip a prospect or two the other way?

The Yankees have been looking for a way to get some value back in a potential trade for Miguel Andujar and former Indians prospect Clint Frazier. This could have been a perfect opportunity to get a star back in return, but the Rangers beat them to the punch.

The Yankees could have constructed a rotation of Gerrit Colt, Luis Severino, James Paxton, Kluber, and Masahiro Tanaka, ensuring dominance in 2021 when Tanaka and Paxton might both be pitching elsewhere. Either inactivity from Cashman or Rangers GM Jon Daniels being the smoothest talker in the world led to Kluber being traded to Texas instead.

This offer would've been incredibly easy to beat. You have to think New York never asked.