3 players we can’t believe Yankees didn’t trade at 2022 deadline

No. 1 on the list? Joey Gallo! How did he not go anywhere?! Just kidding. He was extremely traded. Beyond traded. Traded as much as a Yankees player can be traded. He’ll receive a fresh start in Los Angeles, and his beard growth already appears to be at a Level 3.

But even though the Yanks shipped Gallo west, that was … just about the only obvious move they completed. They dealt nearly every healthy upper-level pitching prospect they had in their possession for the Cubs’ Scott Effross and the A’s Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino. They swung a deal with three lower-level prospects for Andrew Benintendi. And, out of nowhere, they whipped Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis in exchange for injured center fielder Harrison Bader.

With all that shuffling, how did they possibly hold onto these three guys?

New York’s farm is still extremely top-heavy with elite talent, even though the middle has been thinned out a bit. What that means, though, is that the Triple-A team is still overflowing with guys who probably deserve a big-league shot, but seemingly won’t get one with the 2022 Bombers, after not getting one in 2021 and 2020 either.

The Yankees had a few assets they could’ve sold high on, but didn’t. They had a tippy-top prospect who’s blocked from behind (?) who we could’ve sworn would’ve been involved in an upper-echelon package. They had a player stuck in neutral who’s begging to get out who Brian Cashman did not reward in any capacity.

Now, the dust has settled, and all three are still here.

3 players we can’t believe Yankees didn’t trade at 2022 MLB Trade Deadline

3. Miguel Andújar

When Miguel Andújar was demoted in early June after serving as what seemed like a key cog in the Yankees’ machine for several weeks, that became his final straw. After being sent down mid-Tigers series, he requested a trade while en route to Scranton.

You’ll never guess whether that trade materialized.

While Andújar felt like a reliable option during his 2022 tenure in New York, the numbers actually indicated he was less than effective; he hit .245, but only OPS’d .555 for a 60 OPS+. Andújar should be commended on learning the outfield and getting comfortable (and ended up being worth a positive 0.2 WAR!), but his bat wasn’t the boon that fans fighting against injustice made it out to be.

It’s clear, at this point, that Andújar is unlikely to return much in any trade. It’s also clear, though, that the Yankees have no long-term, big-league plan for him. If flipped, the 27-year-old and his helicopter swing would probably only return cash and a lottery-ticket prospect … but that’s more valuable to the Bombers than increasing Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s winning percentage.

Andújar is already a distressed asset, but he’s not getting any younger at Triple-A. It’s stunning he’s still in the pipeline.

2. Estevan Florial

Unlike Miguel Andújar, Estevan Florial’s trade value might be peaking right now — or, at least, it’s as high as it’s been since he was an entirely unknown quantity in the low minors.

Florial, in his second shot at things, has completely mastered Triple-A in a way he hasn’t yet figured out the big leagues. His numbers have escalated to a boiling point as the season’s progressed, and he enters August with a .288 average, .367 OBP, .869 OPS, 14 dingers, and 30 stolen bases. The 24-year-old outfielder’s production is no longer theoretical. It’s as real as it gets.

So … why was he not sent somewhere else as the third piece in a deal that he never would’ve belonged in a year or two ago? Was the market that dry?

It’s difficult for an in-between prospect to crack the bigs with the Yankees, who intend to contend every single year, on and on and on. If you get a shot, you’d better figure it out fast, because there’s always a name-brand 34-year-old who can be acquired instead (shoutout to Josh Donaldson). Forget clubhouse chemistry; the shuffle is always on.

Either teams across the league haven’t been as impressed by Florial as his season seems to have warranted, or everyone just wanted pitching instead. In a vacuum, it would’ve been nice to keep at least one upper-level arm like JP Sears while sending Florial to Oakland in the Montas deal. Obviously, that wasn’t in the cards, though.