The New York Yankees surprisingly didn’t acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, which could come back to hurt them in the next few months.

Their starting rotation was the best in baseball to begin the campaign, but has since struggled since June.

Certain individuals have to be better, especially Nestor Cortes. The left-hander was an All-Star in 2022 when he posted a 2.44 ERA in 158 1/3 innings pitched. Fast-forward to 2024, and he currently has a 4.16 ERA in 129 2/3 innings.

There were multiple reports during the trade deadline that the Yankees were looking to deal him. However, they were trying to land a starter before that so they had some insurance. If they had traded for another arm at the deadline, there was a very good chance that Cortes was going to be on his way out.

Because of that, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report named him one of the most likely players to be traded in the offseason.

“As reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Yankees were planning on trading Cortes upon acquiring Jack Flaherty at the deadline. Which, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, nearly happened before Flaherty’s medicals scared the Yankees away.

“Cortes is still in pinstripes as a result, but he shouldn’t get too comfortable. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt all slated to return in 2025, the Yankees will have an excuse to view Cortes as the odd man out this winter.”

New York has a massive offseason coming up for more reasons than not. Most importantly, Juan Soto hits free agency. There’s a possibility that they’ll be handing over a $500-plus million check to the superstar outfielder. Still, there are other areas they’re likely going to need to improve.

If they win a World Series, the Yankees will have much less on their plate.

However, in the event that they don’t win one, there will be a ton of changes. That could be to the coaching staff, front office, and most certainly the roster.

Cortes should be one of the players they look to move if they fall short of their goals, as he hits free agency in 2026. If they can find a trade partner for him and get someone who better fits their needs, moving the lefty makes sense given his performance over the past two years.