The New York Yankees weren't the only team to be met with starting pitcher sticker shock at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, but they might have the best story of survival.
As July 31 approached, most analysts projected a strong seller's market, where down-and-out teams with genuine assets would be able to take advantage of a large Wild Card applicant pool (the new normal) and incite a bidding war. That ... kind of didn't happen, in large part because the price precedent on starting pitching was set too high, and there aren't enough Sucker GMs these days to make that a viable strategy.