The New York Yankees got off to an electric start and looked like they might run away with the American League East title early in the 2024 MLB season.
They hit a rough patch prior to the All-Star break but quickly bounced back and are competing for the starting top place in their division. The team could use a boost, though. After what was widely considered to be a disappointing deadline for the general manager Brian Cashman didn’t make any big Yankees moves, some fans may have written the team off.
The lack of action at the deadline doesn’t mean the opportunity has passed, though. There is still a free agent out there who the Yankees should consider signing, they can still trade for minor leaguers and one exciting prospect should be called up to the Bronx as soon as he’s healthy and comfortable. Let’s take a closer look at what the Yankees need to do to prepare for a heated pennant race.
Sign Rich Hill
Rich Hill is a free agent, and the team could use a veteran during the time of race in the postseason. The Yankees’ starting wire rotation is solid, but Luis Gil is getting up there in innings. I might need to move to the bullpen or be shut down for a little while, in order to preserve his arm.
Hill would be able to step up and replace Gil's production. While Hill is up there in age and might not have the top-end talent that the young star does, he would be able to at least give the team the innings that Gil is currently throwing, and he’ll likely be able to at least give a respectable performance for those innings. This would help the Bombers weather the storm, and give Gil a chance to rest his arm before the postseason.
Hill is also experienced in postseason play, which would be incredibly valuable for the Yankees given their aspirations of playing deep into October.
Call up Jasson Dominguez
The next thing that the Yankees must do is call up superstar outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez.
The player nicknamed “The Martian” because his talent was out of this world was the team’s prize $5.1 million signing in in 2019 international trade, and Dominguez has certainly lived up to the otherwordly hype.
While he was saddled with this seemingly impossible expectation of being a modern-day Mickey Mantle or Bo Jackson, Dominguez has developed nicely into his own player. He’s somebody who can be a franchise cornerstone for the team.
Dominguez has demonstrated why he’s a five-tool prospect: he’s hit well above .300 for long stretches while in Triple-A. He showcased his prodigious power with four home runs in his big league cameo that lasted just eight games before being disrupted due to injury. In his first at-bat as a big leader, Dominguez took future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander deep to the opposite field for a homer.
It’s not just offensively, though. Dominguez is also a gifted defensive player with the speed to track down long fly balls in the powerful arm to gun down runners in the infield.
Dominguez already lit a fire under this team once, and if he’s given the chance, he could absolutely do it again. Only this time, the excitement and energy Dominguez brings could help lead the team to the World Series championship.
The young star can help the team at multiple spots in the batting order. The Yankees have struggled to find a consistent leadoff hitter and they have difficulty protecting Aaron Judge. Aaron Boone’s squad also lacks a consistent presence at the bottom of the lineup.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe is excelling at the bottom of the order, and the team should keep him there. Leadoff hitter has been a struggle for the team with a committee of players currently occupying the position, none of them have had significant extended success. With his contact skills and potential for a high on-base percentage, plus his outstanding speed, Dominguez profiles, perfectly as a lead-off hitter. His prodigious power would simply be an added bonus.
The Martian would be a perfect fit as the Yankees' leadoff hitter, and along with Juan Soto, he would create a terrifying dynamic duo to set the table for Aaron Judge, who might just be the best power hitter since Barry Bonds.
Alternatively, the Bombers could use Dominguez as the cleanup hitter. This would allow the young star from the Dominican Republic to provide protection for Aaron Judge by hitting behind him. Teams wouldn’t be able to pitch around Judge with Dominguez lurking in the shadows, waiting for his opportunity to drive in the AL home run champ.
The bottom line is that Dominguez could fit in multiple places on the Yankees roster. The best use for him might be as the everyday leadoff hitter given his speed and ability to impact the game on the base paths, but either way, his presence would solve one of the gaps in the team's lineup.
With Dominguez leading off and Volpe at the bottom of the order to turn over the lineup, the team could rotate between Alex Verdugo, Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells, Gleyber Torres, and Ben Rice at the cleanup spot depending on who has the hot hand.
A cleanup hitter by committee approach might not be the perfect solution, but it would be less of an issue if the team had a dynamic leadoff hitter to pair with the elite back-to-back punch of Soto and Judge. Dominguez could set the table for the team’s sluggers, and his presence would instantly make the Bronx Bombers more potent offensively. This could be a true modern-day Murderers Row.
Trade for Tim Locastro
Wait a minute! I thought the trade deadline had passed?! That’s probably what you’re asking yourself right now, and that’s understandable. The trade deadline has passed, but players can still be traded. Locastro is currently on a Triple-A roster instead of a big-league roster, which means he could still be traded to another organization's farm system. In the event he gets traded to New York’s system, the Yankees will be able to call him up to the big league squad just the same way that they would for any other minor league player.
Locastro is an experienced third baseman who would provide the team with more infield depth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has taken the third base position and ran with it and so far, but he's still a relatively unproven player and shouldn't be automatically penciled in as the team's starter at the hot corner for the postseason.
Bonus: Extend Juan Soto
It's been widely reported that Soto intends to reach free agency, and that should be expected given that he is a Scott Boras client. The super agent has a reputation for bringing his players all the way to free agency and testing the market to figure out what they can command.
At the end of the day, Boras works for his clients, not the other way around. One of his biggest clients is Houston Astros star infielder Jose Altuve, who ended up signing an extension with the team rather than testing his value on the open market. If Soto loves it in New York and the Yankees offer him a contract that makes it worth it to avoid free agency, Soto might just press Boras to accept the deal.
He’s not only one of the game’s best young players, but he is one of the best players in the world. He also happens to be a perfect fit next to Aaron Judge.
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