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

The New York Yankees actually have to think about the trade deadline now. Weird.

As difficult as it’s been to adjust our vocabulary while facing a 60-game season amid a pandemic, the New York Yankees are contenders for the World Series, and the trade deadline presents an opportunity for them to improve their roster on Aug. 31.

Oh, yeah, only a few issues: Eight teams make the playoffs per league, essentially every team in baseball is still in the race, and there are significant moral implications of trading a player across the country while the very act of travel remains pretty unsafe. But other than that, we’re good to go!

In this hypothetical, we’ll have to pretend that the literal mechanics of trading are hunky-dory. As of this writing, we have zero idea how the league will treat this deadline, and whether there’ll sort of be an informal agreement that maybe we just don’t do trades this year.

For now, though, it’s fair to assume the have-nots who’ve already revealed themselves will be willing to deal, and contenders would prefer to plunder them.

These five targets could be good fits for the Yankees, with very limited options available.

5. Tony Watson

The Yankees would love to deploy Giants lefty Tony Watson.

The San Francisco Giants are the likeliest team in baseball to dip into their reserves this deadline.

After all, prior to the pandemic, they’d seemingly built a roster begging for one final tear-down. An offense without power or much promise, a pitching staff with a few high-priced veterans in their contract year (we’ll get to them), and a decent bullpen, led (in theory) by Tony Watson.

Though Trevor Gott has been getting most of the Giants’ high-leverage work this season (and will now be known for face-planting against the A’s after Gabe Kapler placed all his faith in him), the 35-year-old Watson remains a dominant lefty in the shadows, and would be perfect in New York.

Even if Tommy Kahnle were healthy, it would be nice to have a high-leverage lefty like Watson, less of a platoon arm than Luis Avilan in the three-batter minimum era, and the first left-handed relief ace the Yanks would’ve imported since Justin Wilson.

In 5.2 innings thus far in 2020, Watson has a 1.69 ERA, and could be of far greater use to a contending team than a franchise perpetually stuck in between. C’mon, Giants. It’s an even year. Help us make magic.

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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