NEW YORK -- After CC Sabathia detailed the latest maintenance to keep his right knee functional -- an injection of platelet-rich plasma plus a lubricant that eases his discomfort -- he was asked about the state of the New York Yankees' rotation in the aftermath of the trade-deadline decisions by general manager Brian Cashman.
The Yankees inquired on Marcus Stroman, Trevor Bauer, Robbie Ray, Madison Bumgarner and others, and could not find a common universe with the sellers in determining trade valuation. The Blue Jays preferred an offer from the Mets for Stroman. The Indians and Yankees stopped talking once the Reds and Padres both put together nice packages to offer for Bauer. The Giants pulled Bumgarner back from the marketplace after a three-week hot streak. The Diamondbacks' asking price for Ray was worthy of a Cy Young candidate, when some teams view him as less than that.
As a result, the Yankees didn't add a starting pitcher, and Cashman wound up on the back page of the New York Post Photoshopped as a trade deadline zombie.
What that means for the Yankees, as the ramification dominoes fall from last week's dealmaking, is that there will be a two-month search for rotation heroes who might match up against the Astros' monster rotation of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke and Wade Miley -- in the same way that other NBA teams spent the past few years figuring out how to beat Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.