00:00The Yankees are facing serious competition for star pitcher.
00:05The Yankees walked out of the winter meetings without signing a soul.
00:09And yes, fans noticed.
00:11No fireworks, not even a whisper of a trade finalized.
00:15But behind the scenes, things are far from quiet.
00:18There's real smoke, and maybe fire, around Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta.
00:23And the Yankees are very much in the hunt.
00:26According to reports, Peralta has drawn interest from a crowd of suitors.
00:30The Orioles, Red Sox, Giants, Astros, and, yes, the Yankees.
00:36And with good reason.
00:38Peralta is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career.
00:41Flashing a sparkling 2.70 ERA, his lowest yet.
00:45And putting together another Ironman campaign with over 30 starts.
00:49His third year in a row clearing that benchmark.
00:52He's durable, reliable.
00:53And at $8 million for 2026, an absolute bargain in today's pitching market.
01:00Why the urgency?
01:02Because the Yankees' rotation is a mess heading into 2026.
01:06Garrett Cole and Carlos Rodon will both miss the early part of the season.
01:10And Clark Schmidt is already ruled out for the entire year after Tommy John's surgery.
01:15That leaves Max Fried and Cam Schlittler to shoulder the top of the rotation.
01:19Capable arms, no doubt.
01:21But they'll need help.
01:22Louis Gill and Will Warren round out the back end.
01:25But that's not exactly a group that screams championship caliber.
01:29A strikeout machine with post-season experience and the consistency this rotation sorely lacks.
01:35In other words, the kind of pitcher the Yankees can't afford to miss out on.
01:40Brian Cashman says other teams are reluctant to deal with the Yankees.
01:43Whether it's jealousy, fear, or simple economics, that resistance is real and it might make acquiring Peralta a longer, tougher process than fans would like.
01:54But here's the thing.
01:56If the Yankees want to reclaim their identity, not just as contenders, but as dominant, they need to stop waiting and start acting.
02:03Signing Peralta wouldn't just bolster the rotation.
02:07It would send a message that the Yankees are done watching from the sidelines.
02:12And in a season already marred by injuries, they may not have another choice.
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