4 out-of-nowhere trade targets Yankees’ Brian Cashman can surprise fans with

Don’t kid yourself, Yankees fans. General manager Brian Cashman, for as frustrating as his moves can be sometimes, is largely a premier talent evaluator and usually shocks the baseball world either in the offseason or at the trade deadline with some of his acquisitions.

The Giancarlo Stanton trade blew everyone away in 2017. Most recently, Anthony Rizzo arriving in the Bronx a year ago was the stunner of the 2021 deadline. Rarely are the Yankees involved and following through on the most rumored/high-profile subjects overtaking the news cycle.

That’s why, though Luis Castillo and Juan Soto sound great, fans need to exercise caution. Even other options like Andrew Beintendi and Joc Pederson seem too good to be true with all the market competition that’s expected to surround them.

So it’s important to have some insurance options. Teams that are falling out of the playoff race by Aug. 2 might be surprise entrants into the seller’s market. Depth on non-contenders could be pillaged, too, if the right packages are offered.

Before you become too enamored with the surface-level names dominating social media, keep a few of these guys in mind over the next week, because we surely wouldn’t fall off our chair if Cashman landed one of them.

Yankees under-the-radar trade targets Brian Cashman could land at deadline

4. RP Matt Moore

How about one more deal to fleece the Texas Rangers before we can’t trade anymore? The Yankees stole catcher Jose Trevino from them, swiped Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a deal with the Twins that Minnesota made so they could get rid of Josh Donaldson, and then signed Matt Carpenter after he requested his release from the Rangers’ Triple-A team.

Though the Rangers are still “in” the playoff picture, they’re an unlikely Wild Card team at best, which means the front office should sell any remaining assets so they can better position themselves for 2023.

Reliever (and former starter!) Matt Moore is having his best year since 2013 in a totally new role. He’s been an effective bullpen arm for Texas, logging a 1.61 ERA, 2.57 FIP, 1.21 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 33 games (44.2 innings) so far. That’s no fluke, either! Moore is boasting unreal advanced metrics (94th percentile or better in hard hit percentage, xwOBA, xERA, xBA, xSLG and barrel percentage). He’s only struggling with walks and curveball spin, and we’re sure pitching coach Matt Blake can help fix that.

Moore, 33, is a rental and could provide multi-inning relief out of the bullpen, which will help now that Michael King is done for the year. He won’t provide the same impact as King, but anyone who can throw more than one inning possesses that much more value.

The left-hander’s three-pitch mix (curveball, four-seam fastball and changeup) has wildly thrown hitters off now that he’s emphasizing his nasty curve more than anything else in 2022.

3. OF Mike Yastrzemski

Need a lefty slugging outfielder who can play center field? Well, thank the Los Angeles Dodgers for beating the Giants four straight times over the weekend, because San Francisco might be sellers ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline.

Perhaps outfielder Mike Yastrzemski could interest the Yankees? Though he’s under control through the 2025 season, the grandson of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski will already be entering his age-32 season in 2023. With the Giants seemingly in shambles after a 107-win 2021 season, they might need to begin selling in order to make room for the next wave of young talent.

Well, their farm system is actually quite bad … so maybe they need an infusion of more young talent. Yastrzemski is a rock solid player who won’t be moving the needle for SF for the next 2-3 years, so they might as well cash in on his club control and begin moving on to the next era of Giants baseball.

This is a nice fit for the Bombers because Yastrzemski works walks and slugs extra-base hits … even though right now would be a career-low OPS (.738) for him. Then again, his 106 OPS+ is above average and he’s producing a hell of a lot more than Gallo. With the ability to play all three outfield spots (he has a positive career dWAR and a combined 20 Defensive Runs Saved at all three positions since 2019), he’d be incredibly valuable in regard to what the Yankees are trying to accomplish.

Throw in some surprise power (65 bombs in his first 385 career games) and a penchant for pulling the ball, and he could make all the difference as Gallo’s potential replacement.

2. SP Pablo Lopez

The Marlins have to trade one pitcher, right? They can’t hit! Let’s say the Luis Castillo trade talks with the Reds don’t materialize … then perhaps Miami can help out the Yankees.

There’s no reason to think the Marlins wouldn’t consider trading right-hander Pablo Lopez, who could be a solid consolation prize (or even in addition to Castillo, if more crazy stuff happens) that would help lengthen the Yankees’ rotation. Everyone’s forgotten about him, too! What was once a heavily discussed trade candidate, Lopez too a back seat to Castillo and other top names.

Lopez is 6-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.09 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 19 starts (109 innings). The presence of Sandy Alcantara and the emergence of Braxton Garrett would lessen the blow should Miami part with Lopez, who is under club control through 2024 (his age-28 season). Do the Marlins really need Lopez these next two years? They’re still so far off from contention.

The only blemish on Lopez’s profile is his propensity to give up hard contact. Otherwise, he’s got a five-pitch mix that gets hitters to chase and swing and miss. If Blake and Co. can help him cut down on the walks, then we’re looking at a significantly better version of the right-hander.

The Marlins are 11-8 in Lopez starts this year, but in five of those games, the offense has provided one or fewer run across ALL nine innings. Safe to say he’ll have much more help in New York alongside the league’s best offense.

Castillo is far from a foregone conclusion for the Yankees, which makes Lopez — despite the fact  he doesn’t have a “big game” resume — a secondary priority for New York.