Once Juan Soto revealed that his new phone number prevented him from accepting the Yankees’ generous offer, it was time for New York’s front office to move onto Plan B. Unfortunately, things move quickly at the Winter Meetings, and as the Yankees attempted to pick up the pieces in free agency, they were tempted by an unexpected “Plan A”-adjacent option: Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros.

Tucker getting traded went from a longshot to an absolute very quickly, and the Yankees nearly managed to risk it all for another walk year superstar. In the end, the Chicago Cubs simply matched up a little bit better; either that, or Astros owner Jim Crane wanted no part of the Yankees’ offer.

Tucker’s final season of arbitration will now be grounded in Chicago; the Cubs flipped Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith for the slick-fielding slugger. How close did the Yankees come to topping that package? Purportedly, the Astros were interested in Rookie of the Year ace Luis Gil and George Lombard together. Also purportedly, Crane didn’t pick up the phone at all? Additionally, maybe the Yankees didn’t shop anyone because they knew they’d be asked to overpay? Conflicting reports dropped from the rafters the second Chicago’s deal was done. Nobody knows anything — but Gil himself suspected plenty.

Gil posted a fairly clear reference to being thankful for remaining in the Bronx on his Instagram story shortly after the Cubs’ trade package was announced. Though Jack Curry and Co. raced to claim Gil was never offered, it seems pretty obvious that the right-hander was worried he’d be dealt to Houston.

Yankees Rookie of the Year Luis Gil thankful for staying in the Bronx amid swirling Astros trade rumors

For now, the Yankees will retain their flame-throwing right-hander. While the award-winning hurler has ace-type stuff, control is both his gift and his burden; he’s under contract through 2028, but he led the league in walks across 151 1/3 innings last season.

If you believe conspiracy theories, the Cubs could still flip Tucker’s singular year to the Yankees rather than play out a Juan Soto-style nervous walk year and let someone else bid $400 million on their asset. It’s possible, in that case, that Gil’s only safe for a few more days.

That feels unlikely, though. The Yankees created a rotation surplus by signing Max Fried, then removed a portion of it by dealing Nestor Cortes for All-Star closer Devin Williams. Things will look plenty different next year, but likely not for Gil.