Yankees Trade Target: IF Jurickson Profar

Former phenom Jurickson Profar has been the odd man out in the Texas Rangers’ infield picture. Could Yankees GM Brian Cashman swoop in and pick up the talented infielder at a discounted rate?

Infielder Jurickson Profar is just a few seasons removed from being the consensus best prospect in all of baseball, yet he finds himself unable to crack the Rangers lineup most days. The 23-year-old has performed well in a utility role for Texas in 2016, hitting .316/.364/.451 (115 wRC+) in 143 PA while seeing time at all four infield spots.

Ranked number one overall on the prospect lists of Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus prior to the 2013 season, Profar has unmatched pedigree, and the talent that was expected to make him one of the game’s best players remains evident despite the shoulder injury that cost him almost two full seasons of development.

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers have been receiving a “ton of calls” on Profar. Coming into Thursday, Texas is in first place in the AL West at 55-41, but their lead over division rival Houston is rapidly shrinking as the Astros continue to surge back towards contention. 

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The Rangers have perhaps the worst pitching staff of any playoff contender, with a collective 4.53 ERA that ranked 24nd in MLB on Thursday. They desperately need upgrades in both the rotation and the pen, and the Yankees could be a match to provide them with both.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News recently reported they have some degree of interest in starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi, Ivan Nova, and CC Sabathia, as well as relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. With Texas in the market for catching help as well, could the Yankees make Brian McCann available?

Next: Aroldis Chapman Ties MLB Record with 105.1 MPH Fastball

One interesting scenario could involve the Yankees packaging Eovaldi and Chapman for an elite young player like Profar or slugger Joey Gallo. New York sorely needs a middle of the order hitter to fill the vacuum in the middle of their 2017 lineup, and either guy would go a long way towards doing that.