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As the trade deadline looms and rumors surround him, starting pitcher Nestor Cortes is not worried about his standing with the New York Yankees.
“I’m almost confident that the Yankees want me enough to stay here,” Cortes said, per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. “I know it’s just sometimes they need to improve in other areas. Other than that, I’m just playing it day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute.
“Of course I want to stay. It’s a winning team. It’s a team that I got drafted by and given me many opportunities. I’ve done a lot of good, some bad, but I’m still fighting and trying to claw my way up to being a proven starter and winning for this team.”
Cortes’ comments come after reports that he “is a name that’s definitely out there,” in terms of players available for trades.
Earlier this week, Cortes was linked to a potential trade for St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Tommy Edman, but the Cardinals dealt Edmon to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, ending speculation that Cortes would head to St. Louis.
Cortes has also been linked to the Detroit Tigers, who have starting pitcher Jack Flaherty as a potential trade piece, though Kirschner reported that a team source said “nothing was imminent on that front.”
With less than 24 hours remaining until the trade deadline, Cortes will look to stay focused on doing his job without letting the outside noise distract him.
Cortes, in his seventh MLB season, had a 4.13 ERA with 116 strikeouts on his way to a 4-9 record in 22 starts. The ace had a strong start to the year, recording a 3.41 ERA in April and a 2.48 in May, but—like the Yankees as a team—has started to slip this summer.
He had a 3.97 ERA in June and has a 7.45 ERA so far in July and has not yet recorded a win.
His struggles mirror those of the Yankees, who surged through the first two months of the season but have been sluggish ever since. Still, New York sits just a game back from the Baltimore Orioles, who have the top seed in the AL East.
The Yankees made a big trade deadline pickup over the weekend, adding Jazz Chisholm Jr., and they’ll hope that he, and any other additions they might make before Tuesday’s deadline, can point them back in the right direction.
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