If the Yankees they want to make the postseason at all costs MLB again in 2021, general manager Brian Cashman will likely will need to be very aggressive before the change deadline. It’s been a bumpy season in the Bronx, but the team maintains a win-now philosophy, and reinforcements are needed to shake up a troubled roster.
Below the five business proposals realistic that they could put the Bronx Bombers back on the road to success this season. Here are those proposals.
Yankees get: SS Trevor Story, LD Jon Gray
Rockies get: SS Oswald Peraza (No. 4 Yankees prospect), RHP Albert Abreu (No. 18)
Why it could work: Luke Voit hasn’t been able to stay healthy for most of the season, leaving a void at first base. There’s an easy solution that would improve the Yankees’ side on multiple fronts: get a shortstop. Adding Story would allow Gleyber Torres to return to second base, while DJ LeMahieu would switch to first base. The Yankees are believed to be interested in hiring one of the big-name free agent shortstop this winter, so taking a look at Story for two months could benefit them. Oh, and they also have a starting pitcher (Gray) on the deal!
For the Rockies, Peraza is a 21-year-old shortstop with tools that could eventually replace Story in a year or two. The Yankees’ No. 4 prospect (and No. 96 on MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100 list), Peraza would be expendable if New York plans to sign a long-term deal with a free agent shortstop, although the club has three others. shortstop. in your top 15 prospects. Abreu (the Yankees’ No. 18 prospect) is a right-hander who may still end up working as a reliever, but would give Colorado another young arm in his arsenal.
Yankees get: 3B José Ramírez, OF Bradley Zimmer
Cleveland get: SS Gleyber Torres, RHP Luis Gil (No. 5 Yankees prospect), OF Kevin Alcantara (No. 12)
Yes, the Yankees need outfielders more than infield right now, but this trade is about as much about 2022 and 23 as it is about this season. New York’s roster is fundamentally flawed, with too many industrious right-handed hitters and little flexibility. It would be painful to give up Torres, who is still just 24 years old and produced 62 home runs with an .849 OPS in his first two seasons, but the Yankees must do something bold to save their current core’s title hopes.
Ramirez, an all-round, ambidextrous star who finished in the top three in the AL MVP Award voting in 2017, ’18 and ’20, would be the spark the franchise needs. The Yankees already have a third baseman in Gio Urshela, but they shouldn’t let that stop them from acquiring a player of Ramirez’s caliber. Also, with Luke Voit injured again, the Yankees are going to need DJ LeMahieu to handle first base, leaving an opening at second that Ramirez can fill. This trade also helps New York address its center field problem. Zimmer doesn’t have a lot of power, but he’s a speedy player who can handle the center, hits from the left side and has reached base with a .368 clip the past two seasons.
Yankees get: OF Bryan Reynolds
Pirates get: RHP Luis Medina (No. 7 Yankees prospect), RHP Alexander Vizcaino (No. 9)
Why it could work: No player would fix what ails the Yankees, but they desperately need bodies in the outfield. Bryan Reynolds would be a legitimate boost. He ranks in the 94th percentile in outs above average, by one. He runs well, which few Yankees do. And that’s before you look at his profile as a hitter. He has 17 home runs, which would be the second-most for the Yankees.
He ranks among the league leaders in expected batting average, slugging percentage, and base weighted average, speaking of the overall quality of his contact. He’s also been the same guy since his debut in 2019, which is hard to say about a 26-year-old. If the Yankees need anything, it’s quality contact and a consistent approach. And maybe, if possible, less shot in the middle of the order. (Reynolds’s roll rate is lower than the judge’s, Urshela.
Yankees get: OF Starling Mars
Marlins get: RHP Alexander Vizcaino (No. 9 Yankees prospect), RHP Albert Abreu (No. 18)
The Yankees desperately need 1) left-handed bats, 2) outfielders, and especially 3) a center fielder. Though he’s a right, Marte would fill the biggest hole as a solid defender in the center with power and speed, a dynamic the Yankees lack. The 32-year-old is having another strong season with personal records at OPS + (128) and ticket rate (11.8%) to go with 19 steals.
That said, it needs to make it to the open market, so its acquisition cost shouldn’t be exorbitant (unlike, say, the other Mars: Ketel of the D-backs, which is potentially under the club’s control until 2024). From the Marlins’ perspective, they would add to their stable a pair of right-handed pitchers in Vizcaíno (a 24-year-old player at High-A with a heater plus and change) and Abreu (a 25-year-old with extensive experience in the bullpen from the league). Cousin? This would be another deal between Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and his former player turned Marlins CEO Derek Jeter.
Yankees get: OF / 2B Whit Merrifield
Royals get: OF Estevan Florial (No. 10 Yankees prospect), 2B Ezequiel Duran (No. 15)
Merrifield is a type of DJ LeMahieu that the Yankees could use in multiple roles. The easiest thing is to put him in center field (or in the corner), considering the great need of the Yankees in the outfield. But they could also play it at second base and put LeMahieu at first, which would make sense since Luke Voit is hurt.
Merrifield is all about contact and speed on offense, which makes him a different type of hitter than some of the bigger types of sluggers in the Bronx Bombers’ lineup. On the side of the Royals, Florial could play in the majors with them right away. And Kansas City doesn’t have a second baseman among its top 30 prospects, so add Duran.
Mark Feinsand, Thomas Harrigan, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Jason Catania and David Adler / MLB.com
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