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Ken Rosenthal reports in The Athletic that despite initial signs of interest in Blake Snell, the New York Yankees are now leaning more towards exploring the trade market. They are actively looking into White Sox starter Dylan Cease, given Chicago’s specific need for up-the-middle bats, making the Yankees’ farm system a potentially suitable match. However, after the recent Juan Soto trade, the Yankees’ prospect depth has taken a hit, making it challenging to engage in a bidding war.

Darragh McDonald, writing for MLB Trade Rumors, suggests that there’s a possibility the White Sox might retain Cease and gamble on a strong first half to position themselves well in the weakest division in baseball. Alternatively, they could consider a trade deadline deal, which is set for July 30th according to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The flexibility allows the Commissioner’s Office to set the deadline between July 28-August 5, with the midweek day chosen to avoid disrupting ongoing games.

In FanGraphs, Jay Jaffe presents the case of Matt Holliday, a former star for the Rockies and Cardinals who had an impressive half-season as the Yankees’ designated hitter in 2017. Holliday, before being sidelined by Epstein-Barr virus, brought stability and a veteran presence to the young lineup, delivering an .880 OPS. While Holliday may not be a surefire Hall of Famer, Jaffe suggests that a career like his, marked by consistent performance, is highly valuable for any franchise.