The New York Yankees are on god mode right now. After last year's disappointing campaign, the Bronx Bombers have come back in full force this season with the addition of Juan Soto. That, along with some savvy moves around the seams, have made New York the best team in the American League right now.
Still, success does not always equal perfection. There are a few ways that this team could be even better by the end of the season. One avenue they have for improvement is through the trade market. With the trade deadline coming up soon, Ken Rosenthal and Chris Kirschner talked about what the Yankees will likely prioritize come the trade deadline.
Infield improvements
The Yankees have a pretty good outfield rotation right now. Of course, Soto and Judge are the mainstays at right field and center, respectively. At left field, they currently field the ever-consistent Alex Verdugo. Even on Verdugo's off-day, New York still has Trent Grisham, who has been hot as of late.
The infield is a completely different story, though. Anthony Rizzo has struggled mightily this season as a hitter. Gleyber Torres is a solid bat, but his defense has been bad. DJ LeMahieu is still recovering from an injury. Really, the only consistent member of the Yankees' defense is Anthony Volpe at shortstop.
With that in mind, the Yankees could potentially swing at trades for a first or third baseman. However, Rosenthal notes that a trade for either position won't be easy.
“The Yankees probably would not displace Rizzo for the Marlins’ Josh Bell, the first baseman most likely to be traded. A crosstown deal for the Mets’Pete Alonso would invite a fan rebellion at Citi Field. The Rays and Blue Jays likewise would be reluctant to trade Yandy Diaz and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. within the division when each is under club control beyond this season.
At third, the Rockies only seem to move players when they are miserable or overpaid, and Ryan McMahon qualifies as neither. It’s fun to think about how Yankees fans would rationalize seeing Alex Bregman in pinstripes. It’s also sheer fantasy, considering the reluctance of Astros owner Jim Crane to concede.”
Some relief, perhaps
Another area that the Yankees could address is their bullpen. The rotation has surprisingly held up even with the absence of Gerrit Cole. A return to form from Carlos Rodon and solid performances from Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes makes them a dangerous team.
Their bullpen also isn't doing too bad, at least in terms of giving up runs. They have the second-lowest bullpen ERA in the league. So, what's wrong? Well, their strikeout rate has been pretty abysmal, ranking just 21st in the league. A low strikeout rate leaves a lot of room for error: you'd much rather have strikeout artists that don't allow the ball to be put in play.
Rosenthal notes that potential trade candidates for the Yankees are White Sox righty Michael Kopech and the electric Athletics reliever Mason Miller.
“A wipeout lefty such as the Marlins’ Tanner Scott or Andrew Nardi would be ideal, but the Yankees likely will pursue any reliever with high strikeout potential, regardless of which hand he throws with. A righty such as the White Sox’s Michael Kopech would be among the many possibilities.
The acquisition cost for a pre-arbitration reliever such as Nardi or the Athletics’ Mason Miller and Lucas Erceg would be considerably higher, but the Yankees are not necessarily opposed to that route. They acquired Scott Effross as a pre-arbitration reliever in 2022, giving up Hayden Wesneski.”
All in all, the Yankees have a pretty good problem on their hands. They do also have in-house options available for their woes, so there's that. We'll see what route the front office takes this trade deadline.
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