3 Trade moves New York Yankees can make before the August 2nd deadline
The New York Yankees are on pace to have a historic season this year. They are the MLB's true superteam. The Yankees were the first team to reach 60 wins, and they currently own the best record in baseball. They seem unstoppable and are expected to be successful in the postseason.
Their success comes from the all-around performance of the team this season. They have the most home runs in the league and one of the lowest team ERA's on the mound. Almost every player on the roster has exceeded expectations.
No team can be too good, though, and even the Yankees can improve their roster. The trade deadline is now just three weeks away and major trades will be made soon. New York is expected to participate heavily. There are a few ways the Yankees can do this deadline as well.
What moves could the Yankees potentially make at the trade deadline?
@Ken_Rosenthal has the latest ⬇️ https://t.co/w3qb5tEuqB
"What moves could the Yankees potentially make at the trade deadline?@Ken_Rosenthal has the latest." - FOX Sports: MLB
No matter what happens, the New York Yankees need to add some pieces before the season comes to a close. Here are three moves the Yankees could make before the trade deadline.
#1 Reinforce the pitching rotation
As mentioned in the video above, a lot of New York's starters are already approaching career highs in innings. Although this rotation has been exceptional this year, it is risky to extend the pitchers past their limits. The Yankees could use an additional arm to lengthen the rotation.
A solid arm on the trade block is Oakland Athletics starter Frankie Montas, who is on an expiring deal. The A's are also known for dumping all their players on expiring deals at the deadline. The Yankees will not have to give up too much in return.
The trade could look something like this:
Athletics Recieve: Yoendrys Gomez (A+) (RHP), Trey Sweeny (A+) (SS)
Yankees Receive: Frankie Montas (RHP)
#2 Get a consistent bat in the outfield
The New York Yankees have two of the most powerful hitters in baseball in their outfield. Aaron Judge is on pace to have a historic season where he could hit 60+ home runs. Giancarlo Stanton is also having a solid year with 22 home runs and an All-Star starter selection.
However, with Joey Gallo vastly underperforming, New York is in need of a third outfielder. It would be nice for them to get a contact hitter to balance the power between Judge and Stanton. Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi seems like the best option. He is batting well over .300, and the Royals are sure to be sellers this deadline.
Joey Gallo struck out 32x in June. Tony Gwynn struck out 27x the last three years of his career. https://t.co/690FvM0PWA
"Joey Gallo struck out 32x in June. Tony Gwynn struck out 27x the last three years of his career." - BaseballHistoryNut
The Yankees also need to get rid of Joey Gallo because he has been a liability at the plate. However, he does not have much value because of his poor performance, so New York might have to throw in a prospect as well.
Royals Receive: Joey Gallo (OF), Everson Pereira (A+) (OF)
Yankees Receive: Andrew Benintendi (OF)
#1 Sure up the bullpen with a veteran
As mentioned before, the New York Yankees have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. Clay Holmes has been a lockdown for New York this season, having just a 0.46 ERA through 38 appearances. However, with Aroldis Chapman being streaky this season, the Yankees could use another arm in the bullpen.
Aroldis Chapman 4-seam fastball velocity ranking by year (min. 100 fastballs)
2017 = 1st
2018 = 3rd
2019 = 5th
2020 = 5th
2021 = 4th
2022 = 30th
"Aroldis Chapman 4-seam fastball velocity ranking by year (min. 100 fastballs)" - Foolish Baseball
The best person that comes to mind is former longtime Yankee and current Chicago Cub reliever David Robertson. He is still proving to be elite in the MLB, even at 37 years of age, with just a 2.10 ERA through 34.1 innings pitched. The Cubs will be selling at the deadline, so New York would be in a good position to get him. Since Robertson is older and on an expiring deal, the Yankees will not have to give up much.
Cubs Receive: Luis Medina (AA) (RHP)
Yankees Receive: David Robertson (RHP)