Despite being a great fit with Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, ex-Rockies GM shares why Yankees won't trade for Astros ace

Former Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd shared his thoughts about Astros ace Framber Valdez's overall fit in the Yankees' starting core. The ex-baseball exec stated that the lefty would be a great addition to complement fellow lefties Max Fried and Carlos Rodon in the lineup. However, he also noted the caveats and hurdles between the two squads that would make the deal difficult.

After a purging of the pitching staff in the last few years, Valdez remains as one of the few vestages left from the Astros team that won it all in 2022. Despite not getting selected in last year's All-Star game, Valdez posted the highest bWAR of his career at 4.4 after a 15-7 record and 2.91 ERA.

"Yet again these two teams (Yankees and Astros) don't make deals. That goes back a long way, so probably, this deal won't happen," said O'Dowd. (2:20-2:26)

O'Dowd expressed his wariness of a possible Valdez trade to the Bronx even though he's currently the perfect trade rental for the Bombers as the pitcher's contract is about to expire at the end of the season.

"He complements the Yankees' rotation really well. [He's] a strike-thrower, [and] has a heavy sinker ball guy. He matches the other left-handed pitchers in the team in Fried and Rodon. I do think [New York] needs to add another starting pitcher in the rotation." (2:27-2:42)

The further baseball executive further solidified his claim by saying that the Astros belong to a less competitive division so they would hold on to their talent as much as possible and wouldn't give it away to fellow AL postseason contenders.

"But the American League West is not a dominant a dominant division. The Astros should be able to stay around. I guarantee you that [New York] is not a place that they would choose to send [Valdez] to." (2:43-2:58)

Yankees maintain top form despite pitcher injuries

Thanks to their red-hot offense, the New York Yankees have managed to maintain their supreme form in spite of injuries to their pitchers. The team currently sits atop the AL East with a 30-19 record and leads the league in both OPS at .815 and home runs scored at 84.

On the other hand, the team's pitching crew woes is starting to pile up as more and more bodies are hitting the injury list. Although the team has maintained its top 10 standing when it comes to pitching averages and counting stats, six Yankees pitchers including three starters have hit the shelf.

Marcus Stroman, Luis Gil, and Gerrit Cole are all on the IL as the Bombers maintain a four-man starting core featuring Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Will Warren, and Clarke Schmidt.

With the team aiming to finally clinch the World Series this year, it would be interesting to see how they manage their injury woes on the mound and if the team will add another big name talent come deadline day.