Yankees' Final Guide, Ideal Targets for 2023 MLB Trade Deadline

Despite sitting in last place in the AL East standings, the New York Yankees are still very much in playoff contention, and with superstar Aaron Judge poised to return from injury things are looking up.

If they decide to buy at the trade deadline, upgrading left field figures to be their primary focus, and finding a player who is controllable beyond the 2023 season would be ideal as they look to put a stop to the revolving door at that position.

This year's trade deadline is on Tuesday, and teams will have until 6 p.m. ET on the day to put the finishing touches to their roster for the stretch run.

Ahead we have taken a closer look at the buyer vs. seller debate while also highlighting a pair of ideal targets to address their roster needs.

Buyers or Sellers?

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Brian Cashman

The best move for this year's Yankees team might be to simply stand pat at the deadline and hope that a healthy Aaron Judge and the recent addition of a healthy Carlos Rodón to the starting rotation can provide enough of an in-house boost to make a climb up the standings.

If they do decide to buy, it's difficult to justify moving young talent for rentals when this has not looked like a legitimate title contender all season, but it would make sense to target players who are controllable beyond 2023.

Finding a long-term answer in left field would improve the team's outlook down the stretch and beyond, but outside of that it doesn't make a ton of sense for this team to be aggressively targeting short-term upgrades.

Ideal Target: OF Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Dylan Carlson #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals takes a swing during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals are clear sellers at the deadline, and moving one of their controllable young outfielders makes sense in a market that is thin on impact bats and could allow them to maximize their return as a result.

Dylan Carlson is still only 24 years old, and not far removed from posting a 118 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 18 home runs, 65 RBI and 3.1 WAR as a rookie in 2021 to finish third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

He has hit just .236/.322/.372 for a 96 OPS+ since that strong debut while missing some time to injury and playing only 194 games, but the upside that made him one of baseball's top prospects before and a potential rising star as a rookie is still there.

As a switch-hitter who is capable of playing all three spots in the outfield, he would also add some welcome versatility to the roster.

Ideal Target: OF Lane Thomas, Washington Nationals

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WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 09, 2023: Lane Thomas #28 of the Washington Nationals bats during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Nationals Park on July 9, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Lane Thomas has been one of the breakout performers of the 2023 season, hitting .293/.341/.486 for a 130 OPS+ with 26 doubles, 16 home runs, 54 RBI, 69 runs scored, 12 steals and 3.6 WAR in 100 games.

The 27-year-old was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals for a two-month rental of Jon Lester at the 2021 trade deadline, and he has quickly developed into one of the few bright spots in a rebuilding Washington Nationals lineup.

That said, with club control through the 2025 season, there is a strong possibility that he will reach free agency before the Nationals next window of contention opens up, so trading him now with multiple years of control remaining would be the best way to maximize his value.

His right-handed bat would not help in balancing out the Yankees lineup, but he could be penciled into the starting left field job for the next three years.