5 Trade Ideas to Make the Yankees Contenders Again in Loaded AL East
All is not well with the New York Yankees, and especially not since they lost American League MVP Aaron Judge to the injured list with a sprained toe.
In the 15 games that the 31-year-old has been out of the lineup, the Yankees have gone 6-9 to fall 9.5 games out of first place in an AL East division where all five teams hold a winning record.
If Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner had his way, everyone would practice patience while the team does its best to weather the storm.
He told The Michael Kay Show on ESPN 98.7 FM:
"I want to know what the vibe is out there, and I understand they're upset. I'm a little confused this year, being the third week in June, why they're so upset. But they're upset, and that's going to get my attention, of course. Everybody just needs to know that we're working hard on all fronts to get this back on the rails and start playing the way we were for a couple of weeks there in May."
Yet urgency should be the name of the game. Though FanGraphs still gives the Yankees a 61.5 percent chance of making the playoffs, it also gives them just an 8.7 percent chance of returning to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
Fortunately for them, each day that passes brings Major League Baseball closer to its Aug. 1 trade deadline. So, let's go shopping on the Yankees' behalf.
What Do the Yankees Need?
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It has never been clearer than right now just how much the Yankees offense relies on Judge.
Even though the 6'7", 282-pound slugger played in the club's first two games of the month, Yankees hitters have batted just .193 as a team. That's the second-lowest monthly mark in the team's history.
Going off wins above replacement, third base and left field are the two positions the Yankees need to upgrade the most. And despite Steinbrenner's insistence to the contrary, Anthony Volpe's .637 OPS and erratic defense ought to have the team thinking about demoting him in favor of a short-term upgrade at shortstop.
The starting rotation is also crying out for help. Yankees starters not named Gerrit Cole who've made at least five starts have a combined 5.09 ERA. Even if Carlos Rodón does make it back from elbow and back injuries, there will still be room for one more reliable starter.
It'll take more than mere Band-Aids to patch up wounds like these, so the five trades we're about to pitch are all of the impact variety. We even ranked them as such, with the least impactful deal on the bottom and the most impactful deal at the top.
And with prospect rankings from MLB.com and validations from Baseball Trade Values, we've done our best to make fair proposals.
5. Paul DeJong and Alec Burleson from the St. Louis Cardinals
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DeJong's 2023 Stats: 49 G, 190 PA, 11 HR, 3 SB, .231 AVG, .300 OBP, .457 SLG
Burleson's 2023 Stats: 51 G, 166 PA, 5 HR, 0 SB, .219 AVG, .270 OBP, .377 SLG
Jim Bowden of The Athletic counted Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan and Dylan Carlson among his top 100 trade candidates. In theory, all four fit with the Yankees.
The problem, though, is that trading for any one of them wouldn't be as simple as, say, swapping Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader. Any one of them would command a haul of young arms the likes of which the Cardinals sorely need, and New York's talent well only goes so deep in that regard.
But as consolation prizes go, Paul DeJong and Alec Burleson are none too shabby. The former is back to being a slick fielder in addition to a decent hitter, while the latter would bring a much-needed bat-to-ball skill to New York's lineup.
Validated Trade: Yankees get SS Paul DeJong and LF Alec Burleson, Cardinals get RHP Will Warren, RHP Richard Fitts and RHP Randy Vásquez
These three right-handers are the Yankees' No. 7, No. 8 and No. 12 prospects, respectively, and each can currently be found pitching in the upper levels of the minors. As they're presumably uninterested in a protracted rebuild, that could matter to the Cardinals.
4. Jeimer Candelario and Lane Thomas from the Nationals
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Candelario's 2023 Stats: 70 G, 299 PA, 8 HR, 2 SB, .253 AVG, .331 OBP, .442 SLG
Thomas' 2023 Stats: 72 G, 311 PA, 12 HR, 7 SB, .293 AVG, .341 OBP, .498 SLG
Third base hasn't been the star hot spot that it was last season, and that's apparent just from scanning the market for potential trade candidates. It's empty out there.
Save for Jeimer Candelario, that is. After his production took a nosedive in 2022, he looks more like the guy who hit a league-high 42 doubles in 2021. He's also playing a mean third base this year, with eight Outs Above Average already.
Lane Thomas, an erstwhile Cardinal in his own right, has quietly been 33 percent better than the average hitter. Right field has been his everyday home this year, but he has ample experience in left and in center as well.
Validated Trade: Yankees get 3B Jeimer Candelario and OF Lane Thomas, Nationals get OF Spencer Jones and RHP Richard Fitts
If Jones' name rings a bell, it's probably because he immediately drew comparisons to Judge upon being drafted last year. Being a 6'6", 225-pound slugger (not to mention No. 3 prospect) in the Yankees system will do that, though such things could make the club loath to part with him in a trade.
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3. Cody Bellinger and Drew Smyly from the Chicago Cubs
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Bellinger's 2023 Stats: 43 G, 185 PA, 7 HR, 10 SB, .252 AVG, .319 OBP, .454 SLG
Smyly's 2023 Stats: 15 GS, 82.2 IP, 75 H (11 HR), 69 K, 26 BB, 3.38 ERA
Was it tempting to pitch Marcus Stroman as a get for the Yankees? Oh, you bet. But the difference-making righty has beef with general manager Brian Cashman, so we figured it best not to go there.
In lieu of Stroman, Drew Smyly would do nicely. He's on a nice late-career run in which he's been 25 percent better than the average pitcher over the last two seasons.
Then there's Cody Bellinger, who's still a shadow of his former MVP-winning self but less so now that his bat has some punch in it again. He would help balance the Yankees lineup while also dramatically upgrading their outfield defense.
Validated Trade: Yankees get CF Cody Bellinger and LHP Drew Smyly, Cubs get SS Trey Sweeney and RHP Drew Thorpe
Sweeney and Thorpe check in at No. 5 and No. 6 in the Yankees system, and the Cubs would need not worry about Sweeney being blocked by Dansby Swanson in the long run. He has more of a profile for third base, a position where Chicago's future outlook is hazy.
2. Shane Bieber and Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians
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Bieber's 2023 Stats: 15 GS, 95.0 IP, 91 H (11 HR), 69 K, 25 BB, 3.51 ERA
Rosario's 2023 Stats: 67 G, 293 PA, 1 HR, 8 SB, .255 AVG, .300 OBP, .339 SLG
Whether the Guardians should even be counted as a potential seller is a fair question. Despite their 36-38 record, they're only a game out of first place in the AL Central.
Yet it wouldn't be wholly out of character for Cleveland to sell off some key pieces even if a postseason berth is in play for the team. Money is always a concern, hence why trade speculation has swirled around Amed Rosario and is now swirling around Shane Bieber.
Bieber's Cy Young Award from 2020 frankly overstates his ace credentials, but he'd be a fantastic No. 3 behind Cole and Rodón. And while Rosario has had a tough season, he's trending back toward his 2022 performance with a .319 average so far in June.
Validated Trade: Yankees get RHP Shane Bieber and SS Amed Rosario, Guardians get OF Jasson Domínguez and OF Spencer Jones
As much as anything, it's this exchange that paints such a trade between the Guardians and the Yankees as a long shot. Even if he does occasionally struggle to live up to his otherworldly tools, Domínguez is New York's No. 1 prospect and a guy with superstar upside.
1. Tim Anderson and Lucas Giolito from the Chicago White Sox
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Anderson's 2023 Stats: 52 G, 221 PA, 0 HR, 8 SB, .249 AVG, .290 OBP, .292 SLG
Giolito's 2023 Stats: 15 GS, 86.1 IP, 79 H (13 HR), 89 K, 28 BB, 3.54 ERA
Tim Anderson was a .318 hitter across 2019 and 2022. The White Sox also hold a $14 million club option on him for 2024.
Such things are worth putting in contrast to drive home the point that the White Sox don't need to sell low on Anderson even as their playoff hopes continue to dwindle. If they ultimately budge, it may only be because he forced their hands with a well-timed hot streak.
If that does happen, getting Anderson and Lucas Giolito in a trade would be a coup for the Yankees. Even if Anderson would be the main prize, this is the fourth year out of the last five Giolito has been a well above average starting pitcher.
Validated Trade: Yankees get SS Tim Anderson and RHP Lucas Giolito, White Sox get C Austin Wells and RHP Will Warren
Given the history between the two, Josh Donaldson and Anderson sharing a clubhouse obviously wouldn't work. The Yankees would thus have to move Donaldson in a separate deal or just DFA him like they did Aaron Hicks. With a .133 average and 0 rWAR to his name so far, it's a bullet they seem doomed to bite no matter what.
This otherwise feels like an underpay for Anderson and Giolito, but it technically checks out. Wells, currently New York's No. 2 prospect, would immediately become the heir apparent to Yasmani Grandal, who is in the last year of his contract.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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