Around the Empire: Yankees news - 11/10/18

NY Daily News | Wallace Matthews: With a multitude of pitching options available, the Yankees are weighing the benefits and costs of signing free agents against trading for another team’s top starter. Yesterday, Brian Cashman began kicking tires on Mariners’ ace James Paxton in full.

Sports Illustrated | SI.Com staff: Bryce Harper and his agent Scott Boras have begun their coy courtship of various MLB teams. Meanwhile, sources around the Yankees claim the team isn’t pursuing the former MVP. Something has to give eventually, but what’s Harper’s real interest in the Yankees and vice versa?

FanGraphs | Jeff Sullivan: Fans often lament that any season that doesn’t end in a World Series is a failure. By that logic, 29 fanbases spend the offseason in misery. Truth be told, seasons can be enjoyable and successful even if your team isn’t the last one standing. In this year’s installment of the MLB fan poll, quite a few Yankee fans were satisfied with the 2018 campaign, even if it ended earlier than we all would have wanted.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: Your daily reminder that Sonny Gray is not long for the Bronx. Jurickson Profar, meanwhile, has been a player on the Yankee radar for years. Texas is in need of starting pitching, but it doesn’t look like they’re willing to do a straight up Gray-for-Profar deal. The Yankees will have to include something else in the mix.