Yankees: 5 players who could be traded this offseason

OF Clint Frazier

Frazier seems like the Yankee who is most likely to be traded this offseason for a couple of reasons. The first is there isn’t a spot for him to start next year in the Yankees outfield and there likely won’t be in the seasons that follow. Even though Brett Gardner and Cameron Maybin are both going to be free agents and might not return in 2020 the Yanks still have four outfielders on the 40-man roster who are going to play over Frazier if they’re healthy. That’s Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Tauchman.

I’m not even including the versatile Tyler Wade who has already proven to be a better defensive outfielder than Frazier is despite limited reps. Coming into the 2019 season I thought there was a chance Frazier would eventually take over for Gardner as the Yankees starting left fielder, but that didn’t happen after the veteran had a very solid season and Frazier struggled mightily defensively.

Frazier’s defense (and his attitude) was the main reason why he was sent down in June and wasn’t called back up until rosters expanded in September. The Yankees had multiple opportunities in the months that followed to call him back up from Scranton to fill in for an injured outfielder but opted against it.

Before being sent down his offensive production was very good but his trade value has definitely taken a hit because of his struggles with the glove. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t teams out there who would be interested in acquiring him. His bat is legit and if he’s given a chance to play every day over the course of a full season he could be a middle of the lineup force for years to come.

It’s hard to say what the Yankees could get for Frazier but my guess is they would be open to dealing him for bullpen help. Frazier is no longer the top prospect he once was so I don’t think he could be the centerpiece of an offer for a front line starting pitcher but he could bring back the Yankees a solid high leverage reliever as the headliner of a potential package.

SP JA Happ

I might be going out on a limb here but I think there’s a chance J.A. Happ could be traded this offseason. The veteran left-hander was great for the Yankees in 2018 but after resigning with the club last offseason he really struggled in the first year of his two-year, $34M deal. In 31 games (30 starts) Happ went 12-8 with a 4.91 ERA and 140 K’s in 161.1 IP. He had an opponent batting average of .258, a 1.30 WHIP and gave up a career-high 34 home runs.

Happ finished the year pitching his best with a 1.65 ERA in September and a 2.45 ERA in the postseason, but that wasn’t enough to make fans forget about how poorly he pitched for the first six months of the season. Happ looked like a pitcher on the decline throughout 2019 so I don’t think anyone is expecting him to be much better next year in what will be his age-37 season.

The Yankees obviously need to improve their starting rotation this offseason which is going to be hard to do if they can’t find an upgrade for Happ. Hopefully, they can go out and sign another ace like Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg but if they can’t I’m sure a lot of fans would much rather see his spot go to someone on the rise like a Jordan Montgomery, Mike King or Deivi Garcia. All three of them should be in the mix to win a rotation spot next spring and have much more upside than Happ.

Trading Happ probably won’t be easy because he’s due to make $17M next season, but he could still be a valuable rotation piece for a team in need of fourth or fifth starter. He can still eat a lot of innings and be a solid veteran presence. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Happ is back with the Yanks next season, especially when you consider the uncertainty surrounding Domingo German’s future with the club.

Although, if they can put together a rotation with five starters who are better than him this offseason they should eat some of the money owed to him and trade him.

IF Thairo Estrada or Tyler Wade

Trading Wade or Estrada would be an example of how a roster crunch could force the Yankees to trade a player that they are very high on. Both players are currently on the 40-man roster but neither one has a clear track to earn consistent playing time at the big league level next season or in the years that follow. Even if Didi Gregorius walks as a free agent the Yanks will still be bringing back the rest of their starting infield from the postseason along with Luke Voit and Miguel Andujar.

That doesn’t bode well for Estrada or Wade who are both big league caliber players that have nothing more to accomplish at the Triple-A level. If the Yankees make a trade this offseason to improve their starting rotation or bullpen either one of these guys would be an intriguing addition to a potential package because of their skill sets.

Wade hasn’t hit much yet at the big league level in limited at-bats since 2017, but he showed signs of improvement in September. He’s also the fastest player on the 40-man roster, an elite defender at second, third and shortstop and has the potential to be one in left field as well.

The 23-year-old Estrada showed good bat to ball skills earlier this season at the plate and sneaky pop for someone his size with 3 HR and 12 RBI in just 64 at-bats. He wasn’t as impressive as Wade was when the Yanks tried him out in the outfield but he also plays above-average defense at second base and shortstop and has good speed.

Choosing who to trade between the two would be a tough choice for the Yankees to make but if I was an opposing club I’d ask for Estrada first because I think he has more upside offensively. His .250 BA this season only gave him a slight edge over Wade’s .245 clip, but he never really looked overmatched like Wade has a lot at times and I think he has a real shot to be an everyday player someday. Unfortunately, I just don’t think he’ll ever get that opportunity with the Yankees.

OF Estevan Florial

Over the past two seasons, Estevan Florial has probably been the most untouchable prospect in the Yankees farm system when it comes to trade talks. This offseason I think that’s going to change if the Yankees decide to pursue another front of the rotation type starter via trade.

The 21-year-old has all the tools in the world to be an everyday center fielder in the big leagues someday but injuries have really halted his development these last two seasons. Which makes you wonder if he’s ever going to be able to stay healthy and reach his full potential. This past season Florial suffered a broken wrist in spring training and it limited him to only 74 games with the A-Advanced Tampa Tarpons. He hit .237 with 8 HR, 38 RBIs and a whopping 98 K’s in 274 at-bats.

I’m sure heading into the season the Yankees were hopeful he would earn a promotion to Double-A Trenton at some point, but he didn’t play well enough to earn one. Despite his struggles, Florial is still considered by MLB Pipeline as a top 100 prospect in the game so he still has a lot of trade value albeit not as much as he probably had a year ago.

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He’s now the third-ranked prospect in the Yankee system behind pitcher Deivi Garcia and 16-year-old phenom OF Jasson Dominguez. Neither one of them is going anywhere this offseason unless they can make a trade for a superstar like Francisco Lindor. As for Florial I think the Yanks would be much more open to trading him this winter if they can acquire a starter such as Lindor’s teammate Corey Kluber.

The Yankees have learned the hard way over the years that prospect hugging can come back to haunt you. It happened with Cliff Lee in 2010 and again prior to the 2018 season when they reportedly tried to acquire Gerrit Cole from the Pirates but refused to include Miguel Andujar in a package with Clint Frazier. Cole, of course, ended up going to Houston where he’s now the best pitcher in baseball and is in the World Series.

Now I’m not saying the Yankees should go out and trade any one of their top prospects to acquire another ace, but if a certain deal makes sense this winter and the cost includes Florial they should move him. I know the front office is probably still very high on him but the number one goal next season is to win the World Series and if he’s the price they have to pay to help them get there then so be it.

1B Greg Bird

Of all the players on the list nobody’s stock is lower than Greg Bird’s after the 2019 season. Once again it was a season ruined by injuries for the 26-year-old first basemen in what could potentially his last with the Yankees organization.

Bird entered Spring Training behind Luke Voit on the first base depth chart but actually made the 25-man roster out of camp and started at first on Opening Day. He hit his only home run of the season in that game but after that, it was all downhill. Bird was only hitting .171 with one RBI through his first 10 games and then on April 13th, he was placed on the IL with a left plantar fascia tear that forced him to miss the rest of the regular season. Even if Bird had been healthy enough to return during the second half to fill in for Voit when he was injured he still wouldn’t have played over the likes of DJ LeMahieu and rookie Mike Ford.

Bird is reportedly now healthy enough to return to action after it was announced on Tuesday that he will play winter ball in the Dominican Republic for Gigantes del Cibao. After basically missing the entire regular season this is a smart move by Bird to shake off some rust and help him prepare for next spring whether he remains with the Yankees or not. My guess is he’ll be gone because things just haven’t worked out for him at all in pinstripes over the past four seasons and a change of scenery might be what he needs to get his career back on track.

If he stays with the Yankees he’s going to be at the bottom of the first base depth chart next spring and will probably spend most of the 2020 campaign at Triple-A Scranton. LeMahieu, Ford, and Voit are all ahead of him in the pecking order and rightfully so. Bird and the Yanks are both better off if they dealt him to a club that still sees some upside in him and will give him a chance to be their everyday first basemen. I don’t even know what the Yankees could get for him at this point but I don’t think it really matters.

It’s really a shame Bird was never able to stay healthy with New York after he showed so much promise as a rookie back in 2015. Hopefully, the Yankees do right by him and let him start fresh with another team.