4 players acquired via trade the Yankees need more out of in 2022

3. Joey Gallo

You’d think Joey Gallo would be No. 1 on this list, but he’s played for the Yankees for two months, so let’s relax. Now, we’d be shocked if we saw anything close to what he did in the Bronx from July-October, but we’re also not going to discount any regression, no matter how confounding.

Gallo’s inability to hit strikes over the middle of the plate did him in, so we have to chalk that up to bad luck or nerves due to a chance of scenery. There’s no way he can be that ineffective again surrounded by so many good hitters.

At the time, he was acquired to balance out the lineup with a lefty bat. It just so happened he had light tower power, too, which was a plus. Oh, and he’s versatile defensively?! How was this not the perfect fit?

But then came just 13 homers and 22 RBI in 58 games (along with a .160 average and 88 strikeouts!). Just about the worst you could do. If he was only “bad” instead of “unwatchable,” who knows how many more games the Yankees would’ve won. Three? Four? Would’ve made a big difference.

That’s why his return to form (ish) in 2022 is so important. The Yankees traded a lot of prospects for him and he’s here for one more season at $10.2 million. This was another attempt at a cost-effective move, because any time you’re paying a shade under $14 million for 1.5 years of a guy who can hit 40 home runs and play multiple outfield positions, this should be a steal.

The Yankees probably aren’t even asking Gallo to be a middle-of-the-lineup presence. If he can merely lengthen this lineup, hit ~30 homers, work walks, and hit over .200, that elevates the Yankees considerably. He just can’t be disastrous beyond explanation.

2. Aaron Hicks

The Yankees never sign players to contract extensions. Never. “Company policy.” Can we get human resources in here for unfair treatment? Oh, wait … they recently broke protocol there and paid a few guys? That’s great! Well, the idea was great, but the execution was … disastrous.

One of the players who got an extension was Luis Severino. Four years and $40 million to pitch 18 innings since 2019. Brilliant. The next was Aaron Hicks, who was given an unthinkable seven-year, $70 million extension after he was acquired from the Twins back in 2016 for catcher John Ryan Murphy. Both of these came before the 2019 season.

The crazy part about this was Hicks had a well-documented injury history and the Yankees decided to give him all that money after his LONE full, productive campaign in 2018. Ever since, he’s played in 145 of a possible 384 games, and his last 86 games played all came while he was dealing with a troubling wrist ailment that eventually needed surgery. So he pretty much hasn’t been healthy ever since signing that extension.

But his importance to the team is still obvious. He’s a switch-hitting center fielder. The Yankees needed his lefty bat to balance out the lineup in addition to his athleticism and arm in center field to avoid having Brett Gardner play in 140 games per year. We know, it’s been said countless times that he cannot be the Opening Day starting center fielder. But who else is there?! There’s nobody.

If Hicks can work some walks, cover decent ground in center and hit ~20 home runs, the Yankees will be that much better. And that’s not even asking a lot for what he’s capable of.

1. Gleyber Torres

The first two years of Gleyber Torres were unlike anything modern day Yankees fans have ever seen. He hit 62 homers and recorded 167 RBI in 267 games. And he made a great tandem with Didi Gregorius up the middle. The kid was unbelievable.

Then came 2020 when he was moved to shortstop, which was the plan all along. But he wasn’t comfortable. He couldn’t cover ground, his throws looked oddly forced and mistimed, and his bat suffered (we can assume as a result of the position change).

OK, fine, 2020 was bad for everyone. Give him another chance in 2021. A fresh start with a full 162-game slate ahead. He’s got to improve.

Not quite. He somehow regressed! His defense got worse and he hit just nine home runs in 127 games (after hitting three in 42 the year prior). After the first month or two of the season, it was evident he was not going to be the shortstop of the future … but the Yankees waited until mid-September to make the switch. Though it was only a 2.5-week sample size, Torres’ bat rebounded and he looked a lot more comfortable defensively.

Though the Yankees now have a shortstop problem on their hands, they need Torres to play like a semblance of the franchise cornerstone he was believed to be back in 2019. Not asking for 40 homers, but 25 will do. A return to hitting ~.270 will also help after he hit .255 over the last two seasons. Would make a big difference!

Torres lengthening the lineup and not being a defensive liability is really all that’s needed. Again, not asking for much. The original expectations were that he’d be the crown jewel of the 2016 Aroldis Chapman trade with the Cubs. We’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. At this point, we’ll settle for something in the middle. And the Yankees won’t have to worry about what to do with a 25-year-old player with all the talent in the world.

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