3 former Yankees players NY should consider acquiring at trade deadline

The New York Yankees have run through the league after a 7-6 start in 2022 (can you believe that really happened?), but that doesn’t mean the work is done. Any fan knows the weak spots by now, but to put it simply, every time you’re left calculating the bullpen workload chart, only to realize Clay Holmes/Michael King won’t be available, that should trigger a response.

Every time an at-bat by a certain player finishes meekly and you say to yourself, “Well, that’s going to be fun in October,” that should trigger a response.

And every time you realize just how low Nestor Cortes’ career high in innings pitched really is, and just how little Luis Severino’s thrown since 2018, that should most definitely trigger a response. Domingo German might actually (gulp) help here.

The Yankees have been historically great, but they’ll need insurance down the stretch at the very least, and they’ll probably need two more reliable bullpen arms to ensure that, no matter the preceding workload, they’ll be able to compete in pressure situations. To fill those holes, why not give a call to some old friends? After all, they already did it with Albert Abreu earlier in the week. It’s in their nature.

In terms of filling out the lineup and diminishing Joey Gallo’s opportunities come October, the Yankees should probably go outside the organization’s past and target left-handed outfielders like Andrew Benintendi of the Royals and Ian Happ of the Cubs. Brandon Drury, a current Red and former Yankees infielder, is having an All-Star-caliber year, but would be an awkward midseason outfield conversion. No, thanks.

If the Yankees are pursuing Happ, though, they might want to just add his current teammate to the package…

3 former Yankees NYY should reunite with at trade deadline

3. David Robertson, Chicago Cubs

Old friend David Robertson will have to overcome two things if he’d like to return to the Yankees:  a surprisingly high trade cost, after he rehabilitated his value over the past year, as well as a strange debacle that followed him out the door in 2018 where he came to be blamed for denying certain employees playoff shares.

If bygones are bygones — and Robertson claims the issue was the Yankees’ fault — he’d be an excellent fit for the Miguel Castro innings in the Yanks’ postseason ‘pen.

D-Rob’s intangibles speak for themselves, but his tangibles have also been remarkable in 2022 at the age of 37. Through 23 games and 25.2 innings pitched, he holds a 1.75 ERA and 1.013 WHIP, striking out 35. Robertson’s FIP lags slightly (3.05), but … you know D-Rob. He’s often going to make things interesting and crowd the bases, but he’s just as often going to clean up his own mess. Yes, you can Houdini yourself.

A Robertson acquisition will be costly, which is why the Yankees should probably double up and try for Happ in this case, too. Their recent trade history with the Cubs in the Anthony Rizzo deal proves that Chicago can be enticed to eat cost by the inclusion of a slightly-elevated prospect package. Odds are Brian Cashman will try the same methods again this summer.

2. Joe Mantiply, Arizona Diamondbacks

Come on, Yankee fan favorite Joe Mantiply! You remember, right? Slightly below Breyvic Valera in the pecking order, slightly ahead of Juan Miranda? Ringing a bell, no? No? OK, no.

Well, Mantiply was a Yankee once upon a time, serving as back-end roster fodder in both 2016 (claimed off waivers, released, signed a new minor-league deal in December, left after 2017) and 2019, when he actually made his big-league Bombers debut (three innings, three earned runs).

After that auspicious start, it was onto Arizona, where Mantiply struggled in 2020, found his footing in 2021, and has been silently buzzsawing the competition in 2022.

Call the Yankees “untraditional” if you’d like, but they love to incur lefty-lefty matchups when it comes time for October, and prior to the three-batter minimum, they’d even bend over backwards to stack lefties in the bullpen (Tyler Lyons in 2019?!). If Lucas Luetge survives a year’s worth of roster purges, he’ll make the playoff roster, as will secret weapon Wandy Peralta, who feasts on batters from both sides of the plate, thanks to his devastating change.

Maybe Mantiply would fit as a late-inning upgrade over Manny Banuelos, though? This season, he’s allowed a single earned run in 26.2 innings, good for an 0.34 ERA, alongside 26 whiffs and an 0.825 WHIP. Left-handed Clay Holmes, come on down!

Limiting hard contact? Yeah, the crafty lefty can do that, too; Mantiply is in the 92nd percentile for average exit velocity against, and 62nd percentile for hard-hit percentage overall. His xWOBA? Hard 99th, thanks for asking. BB%? Literally the 100th percentile. Again, appreciate the question.

If you haven’t been paying attention to the Diamondbacks or you don’t recall Mantiply’s two turns of duty in New York, that’s understandable. But in the former Yankee head-to-head battle with Richard Bleier of the Marlins, Mantiply comes out way on top.