Yankees: 4 players who should be traded this offseason

3. Luke Voit

Most Yankees fans don’t want him gone, but this is just the reality of the situation. The Yankees disrespected and jerked Voit around during the final month and a half of the 2021 season and we don’t see how this relationship is salvageable.

Voit, like Hicks, has largely been hampered by injuries during his time in the Bronx. However, the difference is that Voit has produced at a clip well above average when he’s actually on the field. Just look at his OPS+ numbers since 2018:

• 2018: 193 (in 39 games after coming over via trade)
• 2019: 124 (in 118 games before succumbing to a sports hernia)
• 2020: 157 (in 56 games during the 60-game shortened season)
• 2021: 109 (in 68 games after being held back by knee and oblique injuries)

He’s not exactly a sure glove at first base, but that kind of offensive output has value on the trade market, especially since he’s under club control through the 2024 season. Maybe package him with one of these other guys to sweeten the deal and get a decent return?

We can expect the Yankees to prioritize Rizzo, who certainly fits with this roster in more ways than one, and they sacrificed Voit’s future when they made that loud and clear after July 30. We don’t see a scenario in which the Bombers keep Rizzo and Voit or let Rizzo go and keep Voit. Keeping Rizzo and trading Voit or retaining neither seem to be the likeliest scenarios.

2. Joey Gallo

*Insert Simpsons GIF of old guy walking in and out of random establishment*

Because of Cashman’s failure to balance this lineup with lefties (they really came into 2021 relying on Aaron Hicks to provide most of those lefty at-bats), he had to go out and acquire two at the trade deadline. One was Rizzo and the other was Joey Gallo, who, for some reason, was among the leading candidates fans wanted to see grab a midseason role.

OK, sure, bolstering your team with players who are theoretically good is never a bad thing, but Gallo was a carbon copy of what this Yankees team already had and didn’t need. In fact, all they needed was his Gold Glove-caliber defense in the outfield, and they didn’t even get that because they played him in left, which was the outfield spot he had the least experience with.

On offense, Gallo was dreadful. He was below average in just about every single category despite finally being protected by superior hitters after wasting away on a lowly Rangers team for years. He hit .160 with a .707 OPS. He had just 22 RBI in 58 games. He struck out 88 times in 228 plate appearances. He was an All-Star before arriving in New York … and then promptly became one of the game’s most incompetent hitters during the second half.

Are we sure the Yankees want to play closer to $10 million for Gallo in 2022, which is his final year before free agency? Trading him with a full year of club control remaining could coax another team to bite. When all was said and done, Gallo’s 2021 numbers weren’t far off from his career averages. Plus, another team could actually use him where he’s comfortable defensively.

At this point, wouldn’t you rather an extended look at Estevan Florial, Greg Allen, or literally almost anybody else in free agency that would be cheaper and bring a different element to the game than the redundant Gallo does?

1. Gleyber Torres

Do we want to “give up” on 24-year-old Gleyber Torres? Not really! But what has he shown any of us over the past two seasons (that pretty much translated into one full year)?

For starters, he made it loud and clear that he doesn’t respond to criticism well. He continued to play worse and worse despite unsavory comments from general manager Brian Cashman, the media and the fans.

Secondly, his power disappeared. Taking over a new position affected his mental state so significantly that he hit just 12 home runs in his last 595 at-bats compared to 62 in 977 previous at-bats. His average dropped between 15-20 points. The only thing that remained constant was his OBP, which, again, isn’t what this team needs.

Lastly, there were at least three instances in which Torres was caught not hustling down the first base line when running out grounders and strikeouts. Two prompted responses from the manager when asked by the media. That’s at LEAST one too many. For as bad Torres was on both sides of the ball, the last thing he should’ve been in the spotlight for was a lack of motivation/dedication.

He started to turn things around a bit when he was moved back to second base with a few weeks left in the season, but in the eyes of many, the damage was already done based on the aforementioned occurrences. Falling off in this manner in a market such as New York typically isn’t conducive to an all-time recovery or comeback for the ages.

Since DJ LeMahieu is untradeable and Gio Urshela will likely remain at third base given his cost-effective price, it’s probably best the Yankees bring back Rizzo, go get a high-priced shortstop, and see what they can get in return for Torres, who would still likely be very attractive to suitors on the trade market. This would allow (dare we say) the Yankees to actually play everybody at their natural positions.

Some people are made for New York. Some aren’t. Torres strikes us (all of a sudden) as the latter, and the Yankees cannot be afraid of the possibility of him succeeding elsewhere. It just doesn’t matter at this point. His lackluster play has cost the team better postseason positioning over the last two years and the grand plan of him taking over at shortstop has failed. Moving on from Torres would signal a much-needed breath of fresh air after a whole lot of insistence by the Yankees front office to “stick to their plan,” which didn’t really have much of a definitive direction anyway.

Yankees: 3 players who definitely won’t be back in 2022

The New York Yankees season is over and these three players definitely won't be back with the team when 2022 arrives. Sorry.