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Yankees trade idea replaces Max Fried.

The New York Yankees suffered a blow to the rotation with an injury to Max Fried.

Fried left his start on Wednesday due to left-elbow posterior soreness, but he expressed optimism that he wouldn’t miss significant time. However, with Fried injured, MLB analyst Chris Landers of FanSided shared a trade idea that sees the Yankees acquiring Tyler Mahle from the San Francisco Giants.

Yankees acquire:

• Tyler Mahle

Giants acquire:

• Jace Avina

The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as the Yankees would take a flier on Mahle while Fried and Gerrit Cole are both injured. Avina, meanwhile, is the Yankees’ 19th-ranked prospect, but the outfielder is blocked from playing time.

The Yankees would acquire Mahle, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Giants this offseason. The right-hander spent the last two years with the Texas Rangers and would add some more depth to the rotation. Mahle is 1-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 8 starts this season.

In return, New York would trade Avina, who’s a 22-year-old outfielder. The Yankees acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers in November 2023, along with fellow outfield prospect Brian Sanchez, for Jake Bauers. Avina is in AA and is hitting .246 with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs this season. He’s projected to reach the majors in 2027.

Analyst Explains Mahle-Avina Trade Idea

If Fried is indeed out for a bit, the Yankees’ acquiring a starting pitcher does make sense.

With that, the analyst thinks Mahle fits the bill well for the Yankees and is someone New York could make better.

“Mahle feels like a pretty clean fit,” Landers wrote. “The Giants should be option for business amid what already appears to be a lost season; a 31-year-old rental doesn’t do much for their long-term plans. And while the righty’s top-line numbers don’t jump off the page (5.18 ERA, 5.04 FIP), there’s reason to believe that the Yankees and pitching coach Matt Blake would have some decent tools to work with.”

Landers believes Mahle could make some starts and then shift to the bullpen and serve as a bulk-inning reliever.

“In an ideal world, Mahle (or someone like him) doesn’t have to make more than a handful of starters before being let go or even shifted to a bullpen role. The goal here is to just make sure that Fried’s injury, however long it keeps him out, doesn’t shift the burden onto other starters New York will need come the fall — and who already have their own maintenance to worry about.”

Mahle has been in the MLB since 2017.

Fried Hopeful to Make Next Yankees Start

Although Fried had to leave his last start, the left-hander is hopeful he will make his next start.

Fried doesn’t think the injury is serious and plans to make his next start, which would be good news for the Yankees.

“I guess you never know, but I’m definitely planning on (returning) sooner rather than later,” Fried said. “I don’t want to put any timelines or anything like that. I’m not too worried about a super long-term thing. If I can, I would love to be able to make my next start, but we’ll see.”

Fried is 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts this season.