Yankees: 3 waiver trades we wish NYY were able to make in August

1. Make Deal With Angels for Raisel Iglesias

Where would the Los Angeles Angels be in 2021 if Mike Trout were healthy? We’d sure like to know, considering they’re 56-56 and he’s missed most of the year!

But the fact of the matter is that Trout is still seemingly ways away (?) from returning and the Angels will not be making a run to the playoffs with the Astros and A’s residing in their division. They didn’t entirely accept that fate at the deadline, but maybe they would’ve in August as they fell further out of contention.

One of the first players to go, in that scenario, would’ve probably been closer Raisel Iglesias, who was acquired in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds this offseason. Great deal for LA, but their season hasn’t gone as planned, and there’s no reason to keep paying a soon-to-be free agent closer when you’re hovering around .500.

The right-hander is on pace for a career year thanks to a 3.00 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 76 strikeouts and 24 saves in 51 innings of work. He leads LA in games finished, too.

While New York certainly has a greater need for a high-leverage lefty, any kind of bullpen stability helps, and Iglesias’ price tag could’ve either kept the Yankees under the luxury tax threshold OR convinced the Angels to pay the rest for a juicier trade package.

He’s got a healthy four-pitch mix, too, which would’ve really helped complement other heavily relied-upon Yankees relievers like Chad Green and Lucas Luetge. We could view this as a “miss” at the trade deadline, but Yankees fans are pleased with what they’re seeing from ancillary bullpen pieces Stephen Ridings and Clay Holmes. We could be fine! But we also could use more high-leverage help.

Yankees: 1 disappointment to demote, 1 prospect to promote down the stretch

The New York Yankees have some roster wiggle room, and need to promote this prospect while demoting their most disappointing piece.