The New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has done it again – cost the team a chance at glory. It’s only been a few days since his presser after league-wide general manager meetings was met with jeers from fans. Now Cashman’s comments on Giancarlo Stanton have rubbed his agent Joel Wolfe the wrong way. As is known, Wolfe also represents Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese ace that the Yankees are after. But this incident added with the latest reports may have put a hold on this interest. In the aftermath of the fiasco, the Bronx Bombers now targeting Aaron Nola more fiercely than ever.

The Philadelphia Phillies recently gave a qualifying offer to their ace but he declined it. The Phillies star pitcher has seen frightening consistency throughout his career but he and the Yankees weren’t linked before. So what was the reason for this change? Is it just Cashman’s comments or is there any other motive for it?

New York Yankees surprises with a new target

As 2023 has shown, the problems the Yankees are facing don’t have to do with pitching. Even though their batting raises doubts it is certainly not stopping the Bronx Bombers from looking to strengthen their bullpen. While they have the Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole in their squad, the management feels that the bullpen can be improved still. Although they had been going after Yamamoto at first, the pursuit became uncertain after Cashman called Stanton an injury-prone player.

So now the Pinstripes are looking elsewhere. While one can expect the Bombers to still try to get Yamamoto as of right now, the deal looks as good as over. Because of this small blunder, the Yankees have now changed course. As Talking Yanks posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), they are now going after Aaron Nola.

But to say that Nola has become a target only after this incident would be wrong. While the NPB numbers of Yamamoto are legendary, it remains to be seen how he will translate that to MLB. On the other hand, Nola is a proven veteran in this league. With a career ERA of 3.72 and a record of 90-71, the Phillies ace is one of the elite pitchers in MLB. While 2023 was a below-average year for him (4.46) there is no denying that the pitcher has the wherewithal to come back to his best.

While Philadelphia offered him $20.235 million for 2024 he rejected it as the 30-year-old reportedly wants a multi-year $200 million-plus contract. Interestingly Yamamoto too is looking for a deal in the same vicinity. So now who is in the race for the Japanese star? And who else is after Aaron Nola?

Aaron Nola and Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Star pitchers in a hungry market

MLB is currently starved of quality pitchers. Although many of the big names possess adequate players quite a few lack genuine stars in their squad. Nearly everyone is looking to win this season after the 2023 World Series had two teams that got 100+ losses two years ago.

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Aaron Nola and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as a result, are enjoying a lot of attention from multiple franchises. The LA Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets are actively taking part in the race for these two players. While Yamamoto is the star pitcher of this season, Nola is a type of proven player that teams love to have in their squad.

While all of this happens, the Bronx Faithful must be wondering what else Brian Cashman might say during this offseason. The GM, though, is currently going through a tough time. Fans are against him, the team just had their worst season since 1992 under him, and they have been in a Fall Classic drought since 2009. Only time will tell if he can heal the Yankees or not.

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