For as much flak as Brian Cashman can catch for hugging prospects, the Yankees are perennially one of the most active buyers at the trade deadline. Last year was one the team’s most aggressive deadlines ever, shipping out almost 20 prospects and importing seven veteran players. In 2024, it was Jazz Chisohlm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. that were brought over the summer. 2023 was a bit of an aberration, the Yankees skipping out on deadline shopping and the playoffs, but in 2022 they traded for Frankie
Montas, Harrison Bader, Lou Trivino, Scott Effross and Andrew Benintendi midseason, while 2021 saw the additions of Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, and Andrew Heaney.
As has been typical of the Yankees during this era, they are towards the top of the standings early on, but with a few clear holes on the roster. The infield is littered with question marks, the team has gotten less than zero offensive production from their catchers, and the bullpen feels very shaky (even if it’s overall numbers on the season are fairly impressive thus far). The full expectation should be for New York to once again deploy prospect capital to shore up the roster come midsummer. The topic for today, though, is which position they’re most likely to try and upgrade (for argument’s sake, let’s leave side the bullpen for now, since essentially every contending team these days makes some sort of relief trade).
For a team that has had big holes in the early going, the answer is surprisingly complex. It’d be simple enough to look at, say, third base, where Ryan McMahon’s woeful work at the plate has left him exactly at replacement level per FanGraphs. But, the Yankees could reason that if McMahon’s struggles continue, they have answers in-house. José Caballero has performed well as the team’s primary shortstop and could shift over to third, allowing Anthony Volpe to return to his old position. Amed Rosario has also been well above average with the bat, albeit with weak defense at the hot corner.
The situation at catcher is also fraught. The team’s backstop have put up a pitiful .254 wOBA this year, third worst in the league. However, the gap between the Yankees’ catchers expected wOBA and their actual figure is easily the biggest in baseball, suggesting some poor fortune, and the defensive work of Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra is so exemplary that finding upgrades at the position isn’t as simple as it might seem given the pair’s futility at the plate so far.
And then, there’s the fact that there’s already been a tiny bit of rumbling about the possibility the Yankees will actually try to add to the strongest part of their roster, their rotation, by targeting injured Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. I’ll believe it when I see it, but we can’t disregard the idea; with Detroit floundering, Skubal may end up as the best player on the trade market, and adding him could give the Yankees a super rotation unlike any we’ve seen, while also allowing them to subsequently upgrade their bullpen by bumping overqualified starters into the relief corps.
What do you think? Are the Yankees most likely to target corner infield, catcher, starting pitcher? Something else entirely? Let us know in the comments below.
It’ll be another busy day ahead of tonight’s game, with Matt running through what you might have missed last night, and Jeff profiling coach Mark Connor for our Yankee Birthday series. Also, Josh writes on the wonder that is having so many starting pitchers on one team that fans can look forward to watching, and Kento reminds us to keep things in perspective with Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Time: 7:40 p.m. EST
Video: Amazon Prime Video, Royals.TV
Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
