4 Rule 5-eligible Yankees prospects who could be traded at 2022 deadline

The New York Yankees have the best record in baseball, and will attack the trade deadline with the requisite ferocity. This is not a “year just like every other year.” October baseball will always be unpredictable, but with the best run differential in the sport, an elite staff-wide ERA, and the No. 1 offense in runs per game, it’s clear the Yankees have a foundation that can match up well with any playoff opponent.

Now, it’s time to plug the holes that still remain in the rotation, bullpen, and outfield. To do so, Brian Cashman will have to surrender a significant number of prospects. Some top-tier chips like Oswald Peraza might finally be played (or promoted), and recent first-rounders like Trey Sweeney and Austin Wells will both be under examination.

To fill out several potential prospect packages, though, there’s one place Cashman will look first: Rule 5 Draft-eligible players. At the tail end of 2021, the Yankees cut bait with Tyler Wade, Clint Frazier, and Rougned Odor in part because they had to protect several gems from Rule 5 exposure, including international prospects and 2017 draftees.

That Rule 5 Draft was ultimately canceled due to the lockout, however, leaving 2017’s class up for grabs alongside 2018’s group this fall (in addition to numerous international signees). With a difficult 40-man roster decision looming at year’s end regardless of deadline activity, Cashman will look to preemptively declutter the conversation by selling high at this year’s Aug. 2 fencepost.

Remember the “failure” of a Joey Gallo trade from last summer? In reality, three of the four prospects (Glenn Otto, Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran) would’ve been exposed to Rule 5 plucking whenever that draft arrived, and could’ve bumped JP Sears or Stephen Ridings off the 40-man roster. Gallo didn’t work out as a target, but the methodology was secure. Why wouldn’t you trade them en masse if it could stop you from losing them for nothing?

This summer, these four names are worth watching, as they’re currently playing well in the Yankees’ system under the same Rule 5-eligible circumstances.

4 Rule 5 Draft Yankees trade candidates for 2022 trade deadline

4. T.J. Sikkema

The Yankees’ supplemental first-round pick in 2019 (thanks, Sonny Gray trade!), T.J. Sikkema has finally made his full-season debut in 2022 following a myriad of issues since 2019 (mostly shoulder-related).

Why is Sikkema eligible for the Rule 5 one year ahead of the rest of his class, including Anthony Volpe? Uh … next question. The parameters here are extremely confusing. But he certainly is, and while he’s dominated in ’22 after missing the 2020 (pandemic) and 2021 (pandemic, but more relevantly rehab) seasons, he’s still only thrown 31 innings in several abbreviated starts this season.

No matter where he maxes out, he’s been extremely impressive, whiffing 44 men in 31 innings from a series of different funky left-handed deliveries. He’s also allowed just 20 hits and 8 walks, totaling an exceptional 0.90 WHIP.

Sikkema might be the most likely Yankees prospect to be traded at the upcoming deadline. He has advanced stuff, but barely any experience; the Bombers wouldn’t use him to eat valuable innings during the 2023 season, but a lesser team might.

He’s barely appeared in three-plus years since being selected out of Missouri, but the Yankees already must use a valuable roster spot on him this offseason if they intend to keep him safely secured. Instead of taking a significant gamble, Brian Cashman will probably rely on the remainder of his minor-league pitching depth, including Sikkema as a third piece/sweetener in an upcoming swap.

3. Matt Sauer

Matt Sauer, the toolsy right-hander from the second round of the 2017 draft, has been around so long that it’s easy to forget he’s still just 23, he’s now healthy, and he’s putting up the type of numbers prospect huggers long ago envisioned at High-A Hudson Valley.

Sauer’s a beneficiary of the 2021 Rule 5 Draft being axed, not a victim. If the proceedings had gone on as scheduled, he likely wouldn’t have been selected, though there’s a chance the Yankees would’ve lost him; he posted a 4.69 ERA across 111.1 innings with 127 Ks last season, split between Tampa and Hudson Valley.

Now? Sauer’s a high priority, dominating High-A in his second crack at the level. He sports a 3.39 ERA in 14 starts (71.2 innings) along with a 1.10 WHIP and 85 strikeouts. Known for his big, bending breaking ball, he’s managed to pull the whole arsenal together ahead of this year’s deadline, leaving the Yankees with a (you won’t believe this) decision to make!

Do they trust Sauer’s 2022 adjustments enough to give him a roster spot at year’s end? Or would they rather bank on their depth yet again and attach the injury-prone breakout arm to one of many deals that are sure to go down?

They already survived one chance at losing Sauer for nothing when the 2021 festivities got canceled. Do they want to risk the Rule 5 Reaper arriving for him this winter?

1. Anthony Seigler

Finally, four years after the Yankees selected the catcher/pitcher hybrid off Team USA with their first-round selection, Anthony Seigler is living up to the billing.

So are second-round catcher Josh Breaux and 2020 first-rounder Austin Wells, however.

Good news: the race to replace Gary Sánchez is over, and Jose Trevino won. Bad news: there still can’t be too many Yankees catchers of the future, and the powerful Breaux and resurgent Seigler still fall in line behind Wells for the honor (who might be a future first baseman … nobody’s sure).

With Breaux AND Seigler both eligible to be swiped after this season, it’s likely fans see some movement soon, like the way the Bombers treated Donny Sands last year and shipped him off the Philadelphia after popping him on the 40-man.

The 24-year-old Breaux has finally reached Triple-A, mashing a hilarious .750 in his first three games at the level after hitting .204 with 13 bombs in 53 games with Somerset. He hasn’t quite broken out the way Sands did, but the pop remains obvious. Seigler, just 23, is further away from the bigs, but has put together more sustained dominance in 2022. After being promoted to High-A Hudson Valley, he’s hit .272 with a remarkable .442 OBP and .889 OPS.

Trading Breaux might be prudent, considering he’s closer to the bigs and likelier to be stolen, but Seigler is finally providing power and patience after years of being entirely absent from the discourse. Trading him now would be the definition of selling high, and merits monitoring.

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