For Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, 2024 was a season of highs and lows, both on and off the field. Cortes posted a solid 9-10 record with a 3.77 ERA across 30 starts, ending his season with a strong August run where he went 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA, allowing opposing batters just a .186 average. But despite his resilience on the mound, tensions with the organization flared, and Cortes now finds himself on Bleacher Report’s top-25 trade chips of the offseason.
The strain between Cortes and the Yankees became public when he voiced his frustration after a brief bullpen stint in September. “Obviously I was upset,” he told ESPN. “I felt like I’ve been, amongst all the starters, the workhorse here… Now they do this.” His frustration only intensified when his name was floated in trade talks before the July deadline—a sign that the Yankees were open to moving him.
At 30, Cortes remains an attractive trade asset with his solid stats: a 3.77 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts over 174.1 innings. Arbitration-eligible this year, he’s expected to earn $8.3 million, a reasonable price for a mid-rotation pitcher with consistency and durability. Cortes’ previous All-Star season in 2022, when he went 12-4 with a stellar 2.44 ERA, proves he has the potential to be a key piece in any rotation.
Despite his value, the Yankees seem poised to explore other options, especially with Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter suggesting a “breakup is coming.” With the Yankees’ rotation in flux and Cortes’ evident frustration, a trade might be in the cards. For now, it’s clear: Nestor Cortes still has plenty to offer—whether he’ll do it in pinstripes next season remains to be seen.
