One proposed Yankee deal makes sense, but the other one...

The Yankees are said to be "the frontrunners" on Jameson Taillon, a 29-year-old former uber-prospect from the Pirates, a RH starter, an innings-horse still recovering from TJ surgery in 2019. Fun fact: He was once picked 2nd in the draft, between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, which explains why Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh. 

This is him.

Note the absence of 2020, which in baseball seasons has become the 13th floor of a skyscraper. If the Yankees trade for him - and the Pi-Rates are clearly tanking on 2021 - they could end up with three starters who, in essence, missed the last two years: Corey Kluber, Luis Severino and Taillon. Add Jordan Montgomery, who notched 44 innings last year, and Domingo German, suspended for 18 months, and you have a plague-worthy rotation, a giant syringe full of question marks. You have Larry King interviewing Robin Williams, in the human form of Jerry Lewis masquerading as Jim Carrey. Good luck fathoming that metaphor.

There is reason for hope. There is reason for concern. All five could fail, leaving the rotation as Chernobyl, with Gerrit Cole pitching every fifth day and the city of Scranton sending its firstborn to fill the cracks. It sure would be nice to have a tried-and-true workhorse - say, a Masahiro Tanaka - but we all he costs too much. Money doesn't grow on trees, people!

I'm not knocking a Taillon trade. In any deal, the devil is in the details. We haven't yet learned Pittsburgh's asking price. And no matter how concerned we should be about elbows on the mend, Taillon is what the Yankees desperately need: Starting pitching. This makes sense. 

Which is why the weekend's second rumor is so disturbing: 

The Yankees are supposedly still chasing free agent OF Yasiel Puig.  

Why?

This is him.

Once again, as you see, nothing in 2020. Last July, Puig tested positive for Covid, causing Atlanta to scuttle his looming contract. He never saw a pitch. Puig is an intriguing soul, seemingly consumed by his vast talent, who may have peaked too early in LA, creating impossible expectations. He seems to ignite bench-clearing brawls, not that there's anything wrong with that. But here's the reason for concern. Puig is a RH corner outfielder, of which Yankees already have too many. Could their interest in Puig be signaling possible trades of Clint Frazier and/or Miguel Andujar - or even the seemingly untouchable Aaron Judge? (Now, that would be a blockbuster. But didn't Mookie's deal last year shake the ground in Boston?) 

Repeating: Devil in details. (Future note: In case of Deivi Garcia, remind me to say, "The Deivi is in the details." Always thinking ahead.) Still I cannot imagine a more joyless change than losing Frazier and replacing him with Puig. We've waited four years on Red Thunder. I really look forward to seeing what he can do with 150 games. I'd hate for it to happen in, say, Pittsburgh.

Let's assume this is a bogus rumor, something pushed by Puig's agent to roil the bidding. Wouldn't be the first time. How far out do the Yankees want to walk on the ice? The devil's in the - oh, fukkit - but next week could be unsettling.