The New York Yankees are going to be one of the busiest teams before the 2023 MLB trade deadline. They have officially signaled to the league that they will be buyers before August 1, so the Yankees front office did the brilliant move of pushing all the chips to table for a franchise led by Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole. Their immense payroll and prior commitment to their main guys was a massive indicator that they cannot be sellers.

As the most prominent franchise in the MLB, it is rare for the Bombers to consider selling some of their key assets. With the slew of injuries to their roster, a multitude of players have been linked to the Yankees as possible trade candidates. The majority of the rumored individuals are big bats who can play at the corner outfield spots or lefty batters who can balance out New York's order.

Even with the allure of playing in Yankee Stadium, there are some players who can creep into the pressure and struggle under the bright lights. Thus, New York must not trade for these men before the upcoming trade deadline.

Jordan Montgomery

A former Yankee and an extremely prized commodity is St. Louis Cardinals lefty Jordan Montgomery. He wore a Pinstripe uniform for several years, but he was moved before last year's deadline for budding star Harrison Bader. Currently, the Yankees are winning that deal, and it would not be ideal to add him back to the starting rotation led by ace Gerrit Cole.

The Cardinals are likely selling before August 1st, thus a plethora of their key cogs are available in the market. Since the starting pitcher market is dry, the competition and demand for someone like Montgomery will be high. It will not be worth it for the Bombers to compete with the Cincinnati Reds or Baltimore Orioles in their hopes of landing a starting pitcher.

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Tyler O'Neill

Another Cardinals player and corner outfielder Tyler O'Neill will be a fit the Yankees can consider to address their needs. Yes, he can play left field for New York, O'Neill has been heavily hampered by injuries over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, his numbers have plummeted immensely in 2022 and 2023, which makes him a risky trade target for any organization.

The Yankees might be better off targeting Cody Bellinger or Mark Canha. Just season ago, O'Neil smashed 34 homers and drove in 80 RBIs, but the overcrowded depth in the Cardinals' roster has brought a negative impact to his production as well. O'Neill's 2023 WAR is at -0.4, so trading for him is banking on past performance, which is not a reliable ingredient for success for the Yankees. This squad needs someone who can contribute right away, similar to Bader's success in the latter part of 2022.

Randal Grichuk

Randal Grichuk would be the more plausible and smarter option than Tyler O'Neil. His best years in the majors were in a Cardinals uniform as well, but he is currently part of the Colorado Rockies franchise who are likely to be sellers before the trade deadline. The negative repercussions for the Yankees in acquiring a stud like Grichuk is his contract.

He will likely test free agency after the end of this season, so it is not worth for the Pinstripes to invest on a short term basis. He is starting to get on his groove after recovering from sports hernia surgery. With the injury and contract situation, it is a delicate scenario for the organization, so they must not offer their elite prospects for a rental like Randal Gricuk.