New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes has been out since suffering a flexion injury in his left elbow on September 25.

While Cortes appears to be progressing well after the injury and could become available for New York if they advance to the World Series, there has been some speculation about what his future might hold beyond this season.

An October 14 article by Bleacher Report’s Joel Rueter considered Cortes a potential trade chip this offseason, writing: “Cortes has seen his name pop up in the rumors surrounding the 2024 deadline, with the Yankees looking to move him if they had accomplished one of their top targets at Between that rumbling and his public disapproval when he was briefly moved to the bullpen in September, it feels like a rift is brewing.”

If the Yankees were to trade Cortes, the question would be what pieces they would look for in return – and which teams they would be willing to trade Cortes to.

Given the Yankees’ struggles at both corner positions this season, there’s a good chance they’ll look to improve at both spots this winter. And an Oct. 15 article from Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report suggested that Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Max Muncy could be on the trade block this season.

“Trading Muncy this winter is something the Dodgers should consider,” Rymer wrote.

“Given that he has tallied 190 home runs since 2018, it would be easy to market the 34-year-old as a top source of left-handed power. They could then use the savings on his $14.5 million salary to address other needs foreseeable, be it re-signing Teoscar Hernández or adding starting pitching.”

Muncy has hit two big home runs for the Dodgers this postseason (including one against the New York Mets on Monday) and has experience playing both first and third base. Given that the Dodgers’ rotation has been plagued by injuries, adding a versatile left-hander like Cortes via trade before 2025 would make a lot of sense.

This trade could create a win-win scenario for both the Yankees and Dodgers. But if these two teams were to face each other in the World Series, they might not be eager to face each other this winter.