Yankees: 5 trade deadline targets for NYY as Aug. 31 rapidly approaches

4. Greg Holland

Greg Holland might be the most effective reliever available to the Yankees.

Casual fans might not realize the number of ups and downs Greg Holland went through between dominating for the 2014 Royals and dominating for the 2020 Royals. If you’ve only watched him a few times, it would appear that nothing had changed, despite the extreme grind it took to get to this point.

The 34-year-old Holland was dominant in 2013 and ’14, losing a bit of his effectiveness as Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera took the spotlight for the World Champions in 2015. Since then, he’s missed the 2016 season, gotten back to a baseline of dominance in posting an All-Star season for Colorado in 2017, and been a viable reliever, at the very least, with the Cardinals, Nationals and Diamondbacks since then.

Upon returning to KC in 2020, Holland’s once again showcased strong stuff and veteran guile for contenders who need it, posting a 2.61 ERA through his first 10 outings. The Royals are on the fringes of the Wild Card race (once again, 2020 is weird), but they have to be wise enough to realize that would be the case whether they had a veteran reliever like Holland or not.

Man-bunned Josh Staumont has emerged as their best relief option, and they’ll keep leaning on him. Holland is simply pitching well, biding his time for a more high-profile opportunity.

3. Ty Buttrey

The Yankees should swipe Angels back-end reliever Ty Buttrey.

The Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) are probably the saddest trade partner on this list. Hey, I don’t want ’em here, either! I want Mike Trout in that sixth or seventh playoff seed.

Somehow, though, even after MLB worked overtime to get their prince in the postseason, the Angels have lower playoff odds than the Baltimore Orioles. I don’t make the rules.

Therefore, the LAA should maybe be the most open-for-business team in the game (except maybe our No. 2 squad!), and Ty Buttrey in the ‘pen feels like the ideal addition for the Yankees, sliding right into the Kahnle role.

For all the talk about New York’s vaunted bullpen, Aroldis Chapman won’t be ready for a normal workload for quite some time, and Ottavino-Green-Britton is one arm short, based on the conservative way Aaron Boone deploys them, leaving Avilan and Jonathan Holder exposed.

Buttrey, though he’s a low-strikeout arm thus far in 2020, will be greeted with a solid infield defense behind him if he comes to New York. Last year, he whiffed 84 men in 72.1 innings pitched, which is more our speed, along with a Kahnle-like 3.98 ERA. Not a free agent until 2025, but not a clear superstar either, Buttrey could be a cost-effective long-term add, and hedge against Kahnle’s health in 2021.

2. Martin Perez and … Other Red Sox Targets

We’re sorry, but we at least have to *talk* about the Yankees trading with the Red Sox.

So few teams are bad this year! So few! And one of them’s the Boston Red Sox. What can you do?!

Odds are, Chaim Bloom would love to trade with his chief rivals this year, considering most of the available Red Sox feel like ticking time bombs.

Martin Perez, on a one-year deal, is really the only arm who makes sense … for anyone, and he’s been a viable major-league starter this year, posting a 3.38 ERA and stymieing the Rays in Tampa. He’s certainly better than JA Happ — but, then again, so is Clarke Schmidt, and we’re still sitting here doing this dance. Perez’s handling of the Yankees this week could very well determine his standing with the organization.

But could this go deeper? The Red Sox made it clear this week that nobody is untouchable. They’re not trading Xander Bogaerts or Rafael Devers to the Yankees — is there anyone else they’d want? Nathan Eovaldi comes to mind, but odds are that’d be a classic Boston hoodwink, and he’ll revert right back to his Yankees form when he arrives, two more years of a massive contract (four years, $68 million) in tow. He’ll absolutely forget how to make his fastball move if he shows up on our doorstep. Bank that.

JD Martinez would be fun to steal, but we don’t need another DH who could opt out (and is struggling). Kevin Pillar would be fun outfield depth? Ditto Jose Peraza for second base, if DJ LeMahieu misses more time than expected. Let’s keep this stupid team on speed dial.

1. Johnny Cueto

Johnny Cueto is the best pitcher on the market, and the most joyous fit for the Yankees.

With James Paxton downgraded to “solid, but still searching” and JA Happ essentially unplayable, the Yankees could use one, perhaps two, rotation upgrades, depending on how much Pax you’re willing to tolerate.

Clarke Schmidt, hanging out at the Alternate Site, would be an incredibly easy maneuver. But, in terms of a veteran who’s about to hit free agency and will likely be at his lowest-ever cost, it’s hard to beat the injection of joy that Shimmying Johnny Cueto would give us. Also … you could use both Schmidt and Cueto in September! How ’bout that! What a country.

In five starts, the now-healthy Cueto has a 4.62 ERA, but he was betrayed by Hunter Pence’s defense midway through a no-hit bid against the Dodgers, leading to a downward spiral that’s marked up his numbers in a shortened campaign. Sandwiched around that start were five two-earned-run innings at Coors Field, and seven two-run innings against the streaking A’s. Cueto can still pitch and, let’s face it, even his losses are more fun than whatever Happ can deliver, with his wild array of windups and quirks.

Every Happ start is repetitive, flat torture. Every Cueto start is a new, weird odyssey. We’re all in on at least trying it.

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