Yankees: 3 Aaron Judge trades that could blow up deadline

What are the 2021 New York Yankees?

Are they a contender? Are they anywhere close to approaching the postseason ceiling that was forecast for them? Or are they utterly stuck in the middle, a five-man roster of stars with 20 pieces of expendable filler?

They should have all the information they need to make a decision in about a month’s time when the All-Star break approaches. If they’re still down in the dumps at that point, anyone attending the game in Colorado in a Yankees jersey should be constantly refreshing Twitter to see if they’re headed elsewhere.

Yes, even Aaron Judge.

We’re well aware by now that the Yankees will not even entertain something like this, and the reality is more complex than the hypothetical.

But Judge has a year and a half left under contract before the Bombers have to entertain a high-dollar extension, and if they want to avoid a dramatic, last-gasp, Mookie Betts-esque negotiation fiasco, they’ll want to get their ducks in order well before then.

At this point, Judge is playing as well as he has since his rookie year of 2017, both in terms of ability and availability. Most extremely rich franchises would see this as a prime opportunity to reward their de facto captain, and worry about the financial implications later — again, of which there are none, because this team makes profit hand over fist.

But will the Yankees? Or will they instead look at a roster competing under far fewer budgetary restrictions than the Rays, yet falling well short of their mark, and decide drastic change is necessary? Will Hal Steinbrenner decide that investing $35 million annually into Judge, when the team is already struggling to win while paying him well less than that, isn’t good business, no matter the interpersonal implications?

We’re not saying a Judge trade could or should happen in the coming weeks. But if the current ownership group wants to be explosive instead of passive, these three trades could blow up the deadline.

Yankees: 3 Aaron Judge trades that could blow up the deadline.

Starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani #26 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates with catcher Buster Posey #28 (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

3. Aaron Judge to the San Francisco Giants

We’ve been eyeing the Bay Area as a potential free agency destination for Judge for a long while, simply because he might want to head home after a difficult tenure in New York, and because the only way he’d possibly be allowed to leave would be if his time out East had ended in difficult fashion.

Coming off an MVP season and a World Series win, the Yankees would never let him go. Coming off discontent? Judge might seek comfort in the familiar.

We also figured the Giants would be in a position to spend big next offseason, commensurate with Farhan Zaidi’s timeline for contention. However … nobody asked the Giants’ players about that timeline, and bounce back seasons from Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford have this feeling like 2012 again, with San Francisco among the quickest teams to 40 wins.

Wouldn’t Zaidi prefer a year and a half of Judge in right field to supplement his close-to-contending core, rather than paying him big bucks to break down as an expensive import in his mid-30s? Plus, who could argue with a reunion with Mike Tauchman (holding back nausea as I write this)?

As far as we can tell, something like this would take a veteran big leaguer like Giants RF Mike Yastrzemski, controlled through 2025. A Yaz playing for the Yanks? That might be the only thing stranger than an Aaron Judge trade. Presumably, the Bombers would also ask for top prospect catcher Joey Bart or outfielder Heliot Ramos, the team’s No. 2 and 3 prospects, per MLB Pipeline. Add in another top 10 name — 6-11 righty Sean Hjelle? — and you might have a deal.

2. Aaron Judge Trade to the Oakland A’s

If the A’s were to acquire Aaron Judge, they sure as hell wouldn’t be re-signing him in any capacity. But they’ve been heavily rumored to be in on Trevor Story this deadline, so … why not their hometown boy, who first joined his future Yankees teammates to take post-draft BP in Oakland.

Perhaps they’ll reconsider signing Judge to a massive deal if they get approval to move to Las Vegas? But that … messes with the California homecoming angle. You know what? Just get talent and worry about narratives later.

The A’s top prospect collection is strange, with volatile lefty AJ Puk ranking second, despite many scouts trusting neither his health, nor his ability to stay locked into the rotation long-term. With regret, it’s going to cost Oakland their No. 1 prospect, catcher Tyler Soderstrom, for sure. Plus more.

Soderstrom, a lefty-swinging power catcher who was signed away from a UCLA commitment with a first-round pick last year, would be a perfect Yankees prospect, joining Austin Wells on the mantle. However, he’s just 19, and wouldn’t help the big-league roster anytime soon. In order to get this deal done, you’d need to add similar MLB talent … perhaps A’s third baseman Matt Chapman? He fits the bill in terms of someone Oakland might have historically dealt a year too early rather than a year too late, and though his sterling defense remains in place this year, he’s hitting just .221 alongside his 7 homers. This is certainly not the first trade rumor he’s appeared in lately.

Add in someone like lefty-swinging Triple-A OF prospect Luis Barrera (Oakland’s No. 7 prospect) and you might have something here. If Chapman can’t be pried loose (we get it), maybe New York moves on to rental Mark Canha and attempts to bring Barrera to the Bronx early, too, for a mid-season jump start.

If you’re moving Judge, though, you have no intention of contending in 2021. Plain and simple. It’s probably Chapman or nothing.