Yankees: 3 fan favorites who could be traded by Opening Day

1. Luke Voit

The Yankees probably won’t trade Luke Voit, but there’s an outside chance.

Who’d have thought that, entering 2021, there’d be a higher probability of a Luke Voit trade than a Clint Frazier move?

Whether you think a Voit deal is an actual consideration or not, that’s where we’re at as a society.

Yes, odds are Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner aren’t lying through their teeth when it comes to their stated faith in Voit, and the dissolution of the Jameson Taillon/Josh Bell talks before they ever really started has reaffirmed the burly first baseman’s place in the Yanks’ infield. He’s more valuable to this roster, as an uncovered gem, than he would be in a trade market that’s seen even elite bats be undervalued.

But a Voit trade would be coming from a position of strength that a Clint Frazier deal, strangely, would not be, with Brett Gardner’s tenure over (or close to it), Mike Tauchman regressing, and Frazier finally establishing himself with sparkling defense (!) in the shortened 2020. He’s also more likely to go than, say, Gleyber Torres, a franchise cornerstone entering last season, and someone whom the Yankees don’t want to cut bait on after a small and out-of-shape sample size.

Of all the big names looming over the discussions of the next few months, Voit is the likeliest to be dangled if a major prize like Castillo or the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks unexpectedly floats into the conversation.

Remember, though, that Yu Darvish didn’t command a single top-100 prospect. It will take a massive, Blake Snell-level young name for these three players to find themselves as the main topic of discussion.

Yankees: 3 players NYY should consider taking off roster with decisions looming

The New York Yankees need to figure out what two players to remove from the 30-man roster when the number shrinks to 28 this week.