Yankees: 3 players who could transform NYY lineup more than Joey Gallo

2. Ketel Marte

You’ve been wanting the Yankees’ roster to get more athletic? You’ve got it.

Ketel probably isn’t the Marte you’ve been expecting to hit the trade market this summer, but with all due respect to Starling in Miami, he’s the more transformative option.

Able to cover center, short, and second base with ease, Marte is currently rehabbing on the 10-Day IL with a hamstring strain, but should be whole again long before trade conversations percolate, and is currently playing simulated games.

Of course, when you hit .462 to start off a season, and your most recent full season was a breakout campaign (fourth in MVP voting, .328/.389/.592 with 32 bombs at age 25), every game looks like a simulation in some capacity.

How could the Yankees trade for Ketel Marte?

Acquiring Marte would be an absolute blockbuster, not an incremental upgrade, and (like it or not) would probably only occur if the team deemed Aaron Hicks to be out long-term, potentially into 2022. It would also require the Yankees convincing the Diamondbacks that Marte, who has team options in both 2023 and 2024, would not be the centerpiece of the next great Snakes club in Arizona.

That could be a hard sell, considering they do seem to be on the right trajectory, and might stop short of offering up the center fielder’s services. The Yankees would presumably offer every prospect short of Jasson Dominguez here, though, and they should. Deivi Garcia/Clarke Schmidt, Oswald Peraza, Luis Gil/Luis Medina. It would significantly upgrade the Bombers’ chances of competing this season, next season, and the year after. Sometimes, you have to go all in.