The New York Yankees began the second half shockingly out of the playoff picture, a game out of the final AL Wild Card spot and just a game out of last place in the rugged AL East. Injuries — specifically to Aaron Judge — and a woefully underachieving offense had the team reeling, desperate enough to make the nearly unprecedented move of firing their hitting coach midseason.
One week later, things … aren’t much better. New York took the opener of their weekend series with the Kansas City Royals, but they’ve gone just 2-5 since the All-Star break, with all the same problems that dogged them over the first three-plus months.
Of course, having said all that, there’s approximately a zero-percent chance that the Yankees become sellers at the 2023 trade deadline. They’re still on the fringes of the postseason race, and there are only so many years left of Judge and Gerrit Cole’s prime; you can’t afford to squander any of them as long as there’s even a sliver of a chance, especially when you’re literally the New York Yankees. So, with less than two weeks to go until August 1, the question becomes: What will Brian Cashman have in store? What does this team need, and what could it reasonably hope to acquire on the trade market? Here’s everything you need to know.
Yankees trade deadline preview
Needs
Where do we start? All jokes aside, the biggest need for the Yankees right now is simple: Get Aaron Judge healthy in time for the stretch run. Nothing New York could hope to find prior to the trade deadline can match the reigning AL MVP’s production when he’s at full force. Beyond that, though, there are a few particularly glaring holes: The Yankees have gotten next to nothing from third base and left field. Josh Donaldson (now on the 60-day IL) and DJ LeMahieu have underperformed mightily at the hot corner when they haven’t been hurt, while nine different players have started in left this season — headlined by utility man Oswaldo Cabrera and his .583 OPS.
Of course, every team could use more pitching, and New York is certainly no exception. Gerrit Cole has been everything the team could ask of him, but with Nestor Cortes still nursing a shoulder injury, Carlos Rodon still not looking like himself, Luis Severino struggling badly and Clarke Schmidt about to set a new career innings high, another starter (or two) is paramount.
Potential Targets
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs
Bellinger has been linked to the Yankees for weeks now, and it’s not hard to see why. The former NL MVP is enjoying a bounce-back year on the North Side, slashing .317/.371/.542 with 13 homers and 12 steals. His batted-ball numbers don’t fully support that — he doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard, for starters — but his pull-happy approach would work wonders at Yankee Stadium, as New York is very well aware:
Belli in the Bronx and Rossy on the call! pic.twitter.com/ZbHuZ0ue9J
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 7, 2023
Add in very good defense at all three spots and a lefty bat in a righty-heavy lineup, and Bellinger represents easily the highest-upside outfield acquisition the Yankees could make.
Jeimer Candelario, Washington Nationals
With Donaldson potentially out for the rest of the year with his calf injury, Candelario would be an ideal fit as an everyday third baseman who’d allow DJ LeMahieu to slide back into a utility role. The switch-hitter is a solid defender who’s slashed a tidy .257/.333/.481 so far this season, and he could tap into a bit more pull-side power with the short porch at Yankee Stadium. The last-place Nats have no reason to hold on to a veteran rental, making the 29-year-old one of their top trade chips.
Jack Flaherty, St. Louis Cardinals
Sure, a reunion with fellow Cardinal and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery might also make sense, but given that they just traded the lefty away at last year’s trade deadline, that seems less likely. Flaherty, however, could be an intriguing buy-low candidate: The 27-year-old righty is a pending free agent who doesn’t appear to figure into St. Louis’ long-term plans, and while he’s had an up-and-down 2023, he’s shown flashes of the guy who looked to be a future superstar in 2019. Pitching coach Matt Blake may do wonders with a guy like Flaherty, but if not, Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez and White Sox righty Lucas Giolito are also options.
Tommy Pham, New York Mets
The days of the Wilpons desperately wanting to get out of the Yankees’ crosstown shadow are over. The Subway Series rivals made their first player-for-player swap in almost 20 years last April, and they could be a match again as Steve Cohen looks to retool for next year. Pham, a free agent this winter, is having a career year, slashing .272/.356/.475, and dealing him could be a way for the Mets to recoup some value without blowing things up altogether. He doesn’t solve the Yankees’ need for a lefty bat, but he’d be a substantial upgrade over their other options in left field right now.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Okay, fine, let’s get this out of the way. Of course the Yankees will have interest should the Angels decide to deal their superstar: They pursued him when he first came over from Japan six years ago, and they reportedly made a real run at him at last season’s deadline. He’d fill the needs for both a left-handed bat and another rotation arm, in addition to being, you know, arguably the most talented player in the history of the sport. The question, however, is whether New York would have enough pieces to win a bidding war for Ohtani’s services. Which brings us to …
Trade chips
New York has made Anthony Volpe off-limits for years now, and that figures to remain the case now when the shortstop’s stock has reached an all-time low. There’s not a lot of young, desirable Major League talent, meaning the Yankees’ best trade chips are prospects: recently recalled shortstop Oswald Peraza is at the top of the list, along with outfielders Jasson Dominguez and the currently red-hot Spencer Jones. The Yankees have become among the league’s best pitching development orgs in recent years, and righties like Clayton Beeter, Will Warren and Chase Hampton figure to have value around the league.
If the Yankees did look to move a Major League piece, there are options. The team could move Gleyber Torres in a trade, sliding Peraza to second and pairing him with Volpe in the middle infield. They also have more quality relievers than they have bullpen roles.
