The New York Yankees are currently 42-37 and tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East division lead, despite having the 23rd-ranked starters’ ERA in MLB. If the team is going to become a real threat in the American League, improvements must be made before the 2015 MLB trade deadline.

There have been rumors that the Yankees are interested in Johnny Cueto and Cole Hamels, but those moves don’t jive with the team’s declaration to put more emphasis on building through the draft and farm system. Acquiring either pitcher would require a massive package of prospects that the Yankees are highly doubtful to part with.

One cheaper option would be Chicago White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija. When the White Sox acquired Samardzija in an offseason trade with the Oakland Athletics, the team was expecting to compete for the AL Central division crown. But they have massively underachieved and could be ready to sell at any moment. Samardzija will be a free agent after the season, so any package the White Sox would receive in return would be better than losing him for nothing in free agency.

The Yankees don’t have a starting pitcher with an ERA under 3.48, and that’s Adam Warren, who was recently demoted to the bullpen after the return of Ivan Nova. Masahiro Tanaka has a 3.88 ERA and is a ticking time bomb with his partially torn UCL ligament. Michael Pineda possesses a 4.08 ERA, but he has fallen off since a tremendous first two months of the season. Nathan Eovaldi has a 4.52 ERA, despite having tremendous stuff, and has been an extreme disappointment. Lastly, there’s C.C. Sabathia, who has a 5.59 ERA and is one of the worst pitchers in MLB, but he is due $23 million this season, and $25 million a year for the next two seasons.

At some point, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner have to say enough is enough with Sabathia. The Yankees can’t continue to allow him to pitch only because he has a massive contract; he’s doing extreme damage to the team every time he steps on the mound. Maybe sending Sabathia to the bullpen and allowing him to be the long-man will be a good thing for him. Either way, he can’t continue to take the mound every fifth day if the Yankees want to make the playoffs.

Although Samardzija carries a 4.56 ERA, he has the worst defense in MLB playing behind him, as evidenced by his xFIP number of 3.83. The White Sox offense has also scored the least amount of runs in the majors, with 266 in 76 games, which is a measly average of 3.5 runs per game. It’s possible, with the change of scenery, Samardzija could become the Yankees’ 2014 Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy was battling the same issues with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, but once traded to the Yankees, he was as dominant as he’s been in his career.

If the Yankees pull the trigger on Samardzija, it would be a potentially low-risk, high-reward signing, and it could be the difference between winning the AL East and not making the playoffs.

Jason Fletcher is a MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.