Yankees blockbuster trade on the horizon?

The Yankees have been playing as they may never lose again, but they still need another quality starter — and to shore up the bullpen to win a World Series title.

The Yankees are facing a severe roster crunch. Brandon Drury, who the Yankees traded for in the offseason to be the starting third baseman, is coming back from the DL following the treatment migraines — and Greg Bird is racing back from preseason surgery on his right foot.

The Yanks originally signed Neil Walker to a one-year contract to split time at second base with Tyler Wade, who fought his way onto the team in spring training and then quickly lost the job to rookie sensation Gleyber Torres. Second base now belongs to Torres, period.

Miguel Andujar was brought up to play third base when Drury went to the DL and has solidified his place there with electric hitting and good defense. Nobody expected this. The Yankees are 17-2 with the two rookies in the infield, and they are not going anywhere.

Tyler Austin began the season as Greg Bird’s replacement and led all rookies in home runs and RBI during April. Up to his suspension, Austin was slashing .290/.362/.629. Since then, Neil Walker has received most of the playing time at first base and got red-hot in May, raking to the tune of a .400 BA and 1.191 OPS.

When Bird and Drury return in less than three weeks time, there will be eight infielders to man first base through third. That’s too many, so at least two of them must go.

We all remember the proverb, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” How do the Yankees resolve this roster crunch and not break up a winning combination that has awed the baseball world?

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The Yankees can send Tyler Austin to the Triple-A so he can share playing first base with Adam Lind, who is there” just in case.” So what about Neil Walker? Even if the Yankees were to DFA him, who would then back-up at first? There still would be no room for Austin.

Now we must return to the subject of this article. The Yankees need a quality starter, and they definitely need relief help in the bullpen. Trading roster players at this time are the only option for Cashman due to the roster crunch.

Third Base: Drury or Andujar? It has to be Andujar’s job now. He has locked in his future in the Bronx. The Baltimore Orioles look like they will need a third baseman after they trade Manny Machado so maybe they would be interested in Drury.

Second Base: Gleyber Torres. Tyler Wade, down at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre needs to go. Torres will man second base for years to come. For the Yankees to keep Wade makes no sense at all, even in a super utility role that is currently occupied by 25-year-old Ronald Torreyes. Wade will be traded, so why do it now for starting pitching, or maybe the reliever that can keep the good time rolling?

Walker might stay for a while just because nobody else wants him, as Jason Cohen of Pinstripe Alley reported:

"When Greg Bird returns, the Yankees won’t have anywhere to play Neil Walker anymore. He’s not going to take time away from Torres, and outside of a few starts, he won’t be getting major playing time at first base. Perhaps they could use him as a bat off the bench, but he might be better off being shipped out and used to get a better pitcher at the deadline, if his recent performance holds up."

Brian Cashman is a master at blockbuster deals, and it feels like one is coming because of the overabundance of MLB talent currently on the 25-man roster. Drury, Wade, Walker and Austin are almost a complete infield and with MLB experience to-boot.

Next: ESPN's Tim Kurkjian talks Yankees

My guess is the Yankees will get involved in a multi-player/multi-team deal that ends up bringing a quality starter and reliever to the Bronx. Using some combination of their young expendable players as trade chips, will not only relieve the pressure on the roster but be the key to the Yankees’ next world championship.