The New York Yankees are in the middle of a race for the top seed in the American League playoffs,

While Cortes quickly became a fan favorite when he posted stellar numbers during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he has struggled to find that All-Star form since.

The Yankees nearly traded Cortes at the July 30 deadline if they struck a deal for Jack Flaherty, who wound up going to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In looking ahead to the upcoming offseason, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report believes Cortes could be on the move in a trade following the 2024 season.

As reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Yankees were planning on trading Cortes upon acquiring Jack Flaherty at the deadline. Which, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, nearly happened before Flaherty's medicals scared the Yankees away.

Cortes is still in pinstripes as a result, but he shouldn't get too comfortable. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt all slated to return in 2025, the Yankees will have an excuse to view Cortes as the odd man out this winter.

Cortes has been a massive disappointment for the Yankees this season, especially on the road. He entered Thursday night's start with a 1-5 record in 12 starts on the road, posting a brutal 6.08 ERA and 1.5 WHIP across 60.2 innings.

Then, Thursday night's start against the Los Angeles Angels came around, and Cortes allowed nine hits, six runs (all earned), one walk and a home run in just 4.2 innings.

The Yankees need to be able to rely on their starting rotation so a move to the bullpen should be considered for the rest of the season.

As for the offseason, there's no guarantee Cortes will remain in pinstripes if the Yankees can strike a fail deal.