Ranking Yankees’ rumored trade targets ahead of Aug. 2 deadline

We’re just over a week away from the Aug. 2 trade deadline and the New York Yankees are expected to be among the most active teams in MLB.

Though they boast the best record in the sport, the roster still needs help in the form of pitching (of all kinds) and outfielders. The trade for Tyler Wade likely fortified the infield situation, but with Joey Gallo likely to be dealt and Aaron Hicks still a bit of a question mark despite his surge over the last few weeks, general manager Brian Cashman will be looking for a more reliable option.

A lot of names have been connected to the Yankees thus far, whether it be through actual reports, loose rumors, general speculation from insiders, or the usual firestarters from Yankees Twitter. For the most part, though, the selection here is filled with mostly realistic and sensible players who will likely be on the move and fit fairly seamlessly on this current Yankees roster.

And there will be others! Cashman always surprises fans with under-the-radar acquisitions that end up producing (Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta are recent examples). This time, however, with the Yankees owning the best record in the league and possessing a legitimate a shot as ever to win a World Series, some uncharacteristic aggression might be necessary.

Who’s on the fans’ wish list? Who’s Cashman likely keeping his eyes on? Who would put this roster over the top?

Ranking the rumored Yankees’ trade targets ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline

7. Andrew Benintendi/Michael A. Taylor

This is merely an honorable mention, because neither move is likely to happen after it was revealed last week that Andrew Benintendi and Michael A. Taylor aren’t vaccinated. They were left off the Kansas City Royals’ roster when the team traveled to Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays. Tale as old as time (2022).

Initially, the Yankees were publicly connected to both, with Benintendi emerging as a replacement for Gallo and/or Taylor being targeted as an elite defensive replacement in center field to keep Aaron Judge in right and move Aaron Hicks to left more often.

But now the Yankees are believed to have backed off these discussions with the Royals because there’s a chance they might face Toronto in the playoffs (and have three games there still from Sept. 26-28 that could determine playoff seeding).

Unless the vaccine status changes — hey, fellow Royal Whit Merrifield said he’d get vaccinated if he got traded to a contender that required it! — don’t count on this scenario moving any further ahead.

6. David Peralta

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta moved up in the ranks due to the aforementioned news. It helps he primarily plays left field and is a good glove out there (4 Outs Above Average and 1 Defensive Run Saved). 

However, his bat has largely been unimpressive over the last 1.5 seasons (230 games). His average and on-base percentage have witnessed massive dips and his OPS+ has remained right around league average.

Then again, the Yankees kind of need just that. They don’t need another All-Star outfielder. They just need someone who can hit middle-middle fastballs, which Joey Gallo cannot do. Additionally, Gallo’s poor play in left field forced the Yankees to reconfigure their outfield and put him in right.

If they can find a solid bat that can hold down the fort in left so there can be a static situation in center and right, then that’ll be a win. Is Peralta the best option? No. But he makes this team better if he’s brought in to replace Gallo, who’s been among the worst players in the sport for a full calendar year now.

5. Bryan Reynolds

Just on merit, Bryan Reynolds has to rank higher than Benintendi, Taylor and Peralta, but he’s not exactly an attainable target. The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to want a huge haul for the center fielder, who rebounded admirably after a slow start.

Reynolds is now hitting .261 with an .808 OPS, 127 OPS+, 40 runs scored, 15 homers and 32 RBI. But a week ago, he hit the injured list with an oblique strain, which is never a good sign.

Additionally, most of what the Yankees would be paying for here is team control. Reynolds isn’t a free agent until after the 2025 season, but his defense is pretty much average and his bat has been largely inconsistent across his first 431 career games.

Don’t get us wrong, he’s a good player that the Yankees should want on their team, but when it’s more worthwhile to pay the premium on positions of more urgent need (pitching), there’s no sense in emptying key assets for a position that can be addressed in-house on the big-league roster or down the road with promising outfield prospects coming up the pipeline.

3. Ian Happ

Wanna throw in Ian Happ too, Cubbies? The first-time 2022 All-Star has rebounded after a slow start himself, and is now hitting .274 with an .808 OPS, 126 OPS+, 41 runs scored, 9 homers and 42 RBI. His power has slightly declined from 2021, but he’s making a lot more contact and getting on base more frequently.

Some continue to reference the short porch in Yankee Stadium benefitting him, but Happ hits to all fields, and has just three homers and three doubles to right field in 2022. Still, he’d be a great asset to have toward the bottom of the Yankees’ lineup, especially since he ranks in the 82nd percentile for walk percentage this year.

Most of his other advanced metrics are right in line with his production, and those his defensive ones (Outs Above Average and Outfielder Jump) are below average, he’s managed a positive dWAR and Defensive Runs Saved figure (5). He’s clearly been more comfortable out there after being played all over the field for much of his first five years in the league.

Happ is controllable through the 2023 season, so his price tag might be a bit higher than the Yankees might be comfortable spending, but that’s a good problem to have. In the upsetting event Aaron Judge leaves in free agency, the Yankees will have the necessary outfield insurance with Giancarlo Stanton able to absorb the bulk of the reps in right.

But the focus here is for 2022, and the fit couldn’t be better. Lefty bat, solid defense, and friends with Anthony Rizzo.

2. Luis Castillo

Cincinnati Reds ace Luis Castillo is likely the starting pitching crown jewel of the trade deadline considering he’s under club control through the 2023 season (which will only cost ~$10 million). The 2022 All-Star (2.77 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.07 WHIP) has bounced back after a career-worst 2021, during which many Yankees fans were thankful the team didn’t sell a big portion of the farm for the right-hander.

But now? Well, you know how baseball works. Castillo went from liability to premier asset, and one the Yankees could really use. It also doesn’t help the Blue Jays and Astros are reportedly interested here, which would be a double-loss for the Yanks if one of those teams acquires him.

Truth be told, New York has a few rotation issues. Gerrit Cole loses more big games than he wins. Jameson Taillon is fully hit or miss. Luis Severino is back on the IL. It feels like fans only truly know what they’re going to get out of Nestor Cortes and Jordan Montgomery, both of whom have largely remained consistent.

Acquiring Castillo would bump someone from the starting five, though — a problem the Yankees can figure out later. If Taillon continues to sputter, he could be the odd man out. If Severino starts to break down again, maybe he’s relegated to the bullpen. We just don’t know.

But for the sake of preserving the pitching staff and getting another top-end starter, Castillo is very much a “need” rather than a “want.”

1. Juan Soto

You’ve heard the news. Juan Soto is likely to be traded before Aug. 2 after rejecting an historic contract from the Washington Nationals.

Is this the Yankees’ cup of tea? Not exactly. Cashman has historically been hesitant to go “over the edge” when it comes to surrendering prospects/young talent for established big-league studs. But perhaps Soto, a once-in-a-generation player, is a different story.

It’s going to take the haul of all hauls … but Soto comes with 2.5 years of control and decent AAVs that allow the Yankees to work within their self-imposed financial restraints while also allowing them to re-sign Aaron Judge (if that’s part of the plan). Forget about paying Soto $500 million after 2024. Let the next few years play out and try to win a championship or two. Seems reasonable!

Trade for Soto (it’s likely going to cost four or five of the team’s top prospects and one or two young major league players), plop him in left field, go for a World Series now, use that revenue to address the rotation, infield and bullpen in the offseason, and see what you can do in 2023 and 2024, which should be two more premier contending years.

Like Castillo, there will be a ton of competition here, but the Yankees are of the few top teams in the league that have the organizational depth to make it happen. If that means the Yankees have to pivot with their shortstop/starting pitching plans because Anthony Volpe and Ken Waldichuk might be traded, then so be it. For Soto, it’s worth it, and there’s plenty more talent ready to rocket through the pipeline.

And again, the Yankees have plenty of money, so they can afford to spend a little bit more the next few offseasons if it means getting to the Fall Classic (potentially) three straight times.

This mega trade package could land Yankees Juan Soto based on latest buzz

According to some insiders, the New York Yankees are expected to make an offer for Nationals star Juan Soto, and it could look like this.