3 trade packages that can help Yankees land Jose Ramirez

All we keep hearing is that the New York Yankees’ organizational depth in the farm system is among the best in the league. It’s what helped them get Joey Gallo without having to surrender anything close to their most notable assets.

They have an embarrassment of riches, it seems, at shortstop, catcher and pitcher. It’s why so many have speculated they’re the perfect trade partner for the Oakland Athletics in any deal for Matt Olson or Matt Chapman. General manager Brian Cashman can deal from his many surpluses and still maintain the top talent.

But perhaps there’s been one potential trade candidate that’s been overlooked this offseason. He’s been discussed in years past, especially before the 2021 season when his teammate Francisco Lindor was traded to the New York Mets, but for whatever reason the buzz has subsided.

What about Jose Ramirez? The Cleveland Guardians star is an MVP talent stuck on a team that’s nowhere close to contending and he can only be controlled for two more seasons (he has a team option for 2023 that will undoubtedly be picked up).

Ramirez’s fit with the Yankees is almost tailor made, too. He can play second base and third base to help with the infield versatility. He’s a lefty slugger that can hit for average and power. He hardly ever strikes out and he steals a ton of bases. Most importantly, however, is that he’s almost always healthy (he’s missed just 70 games since the start of 2016).

So what would it take for the Yankees to convince the Guardians to make a move here? Cleveland certainly doesn’t want their top asset to continue depreciating as his club control wanes, so perhaps Cashman can entice the AL Central club to sell high and expedite their rebuild with some of the league’s best prospects.

3 trade packages that can help the Yankees land Jose Ramirez.

3. Jasson Dominguez-led Deal

Let’s be honest: if the Yankees are going to do this, it’s going to cost around five players. There’s no way two cost-effective years of control for one of the best players in the game will be any less than that.

That said, it depends what the Guardians want. So we’re going to vary these packages appropriately to see if any might be of interest. Let’s start with Jasson Dominguez, since Cleveland has had unthinkable trouble finding good outfielders over the last five years.

Though Dominguez’s value “dipped” because he didn’t hit 100 homers with 25 stolen bases in his first 20 games of professional action, he’s still viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone player and has the tools to rise in the minor league ranks fast. There’s no denying his raw talent and that’s what teams may look to acquire when they possess an asset like Ramirez.

So what if the Yankees offered something like this:

• No. 2 prospect Jasson Dominguez
• No. 7 prospect Trey Sweeney
• No. 9 prospect Ken Waldichuk
• No. 10 prospect Yoendrys Gomez
• No. 18 prospect Josh Breaux

That’s an outfielder, a shortstop, two pitchers and a catcher, with the latter three having years of professional experience. All of them still possess high upside. And for the Yankees, they still have the outfield, shortstop, catching and pitching depth to absorb these losses.

Dominguez was a top international signing, Sweeney was a first-round pick, Waldichuk has dramatically surpassed expectations as a fifth-rounder, and Breaux was a second-rounder. The only downside here is Gomez underwent Tommy John surgery in August, but it’s not like the Guardians are turning this ship around in a year. This plan will take a few seasons to come into focus.

1. Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera, Deivi Garcia, Brandon Lockridge, Randy Vasquez, Elijah Dunham

Gotta mix it up a little bit! While this package might not seem like the most marquee of the bunch, the Guardians might prefer to take an extra player and a variety of guys who could be available soon and in a few years.

Peraza is the obvious headliner. He’s the Yankees’ prized shortstop prospect and only isn’t No. 1 because Anthony Volpe exists. We know reports suggested the Yankees were unwilling to trade Peraza or Volpe in a deal for Matt Olson, but get real. Not going to happen. You’re paying up for Ramirez, who’s better and more versatile.

• No. 3 prospect Oswald Peraza
• No. 11 prospect Deivi Garcia
• No. 16 prospect Oswaldo Cabrera
• No. 19 prospect Brandon Lockridge
• No. 20 prospect Randy Vasquez
• No. 23 prospect Elijah Dunham

Given that the Guardians totally whiffed in the Lindor-Mets deal (Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez just weren’t enough), the Yankees can help replenish that area of weakness with a Peraza-Cabrera combo (Cabrera can play multiple infield positions and is a toosly player like Peraza as evidenced by his 29 homers, 89 RBI and 21 stolen bases last year).

Garcia is another arm the Guardians can “fix” since he’s already proven able to handle major league hitters effectively (the Yankees just screwed him up somehow). Vasquez has rocketed up the system and should start 2022 in Double-A (have you seen his breaking pitches?). Lockridge, an outfielder, will be in Triple-A next year after an impressive stint at Double-A in 2021 (10 homers, 24 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a .940 OPS in 43 games). And finally, Dunham, who’s believed to be another fast riser, has blown by expectations and owned the Arizona Fall League this past October (1.037 OPS, 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 14 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 23 games). He can play all three outfield positions, too.

Whether you like these packages or not, there’s no denying the potential here. And we’re only excluding Volpe because it’s clear the Yankees view him as their shortstop of the future. Maybe a combination of these packages could end up being the winner (for example, Peraza, Wells, Gil, Pereira and Lockridge/Dunham?), but these should serve as a healthy starting point if the Yankees were serious about upgrading their MLB roster in this manner.

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