3 way-too-early Yankees trade deadline targets we should already be monitoring

It may be early April, but plenty of teams are still monitoring potential trade pieces for some summertime improvements. No one team is perfectly built, no matter what that fanbase would like to tell you. Count the New York Yankees as one of the teams looking to improve in a couple of areas.

Starting pitching, despite the addition of Max Fried this offseason, is still a point of emphasis for GM Brian Cashman and company. The loss of Gerrit Cole for the season amplified the importance of the likes of Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren. Stroman, who was the subject of plenty of trade rumors this offseason, recently hit the Injured List with knee issues.

Erick Fedde, who was a hot commodity last summer, is on an expiring contract for a team, St. Louis, that will likely go nowhere. The 32-year-old revamped his career with a 20 win season in the KBO in 2023, signing with the Chicago White Sox ahead of 2024. Fedde's command took a jump, cutting his walk rate almost three percent from 2022 (10.1% to 7.2%). Adept at suppressing hard contact rather than blowing hitters away, Fedde induced opponents to post a measly .306 xwOBA and .245 xBA against him last season. In an ideal world, Fedde would replace one of Stroman, Carrasco or Warren at the end of the rotation after moving to St. Louis at last year's trade deadline.

Yankees should pursue Erick Fedde at trade deadline ... and one of his teammates, too

Third base was the subject of numerous trade rumors through the offseason as well, with Nolan Arenado at the center of the firestorm. Arenado has been off to a hot start, slashing .288/.395/.452 with two home runs and six doubles, good for a 135 wRC+ (as of April 20). The slick fielder has improved his swing decisions, walking in 14.0% of his plate appearances, while increasing his average bat speed from 70.7 mph to 72.0 mph. Yes, it is early in the season, but Arenado seems to have delayed the decline he was on for the past two seasons. Regardless of the bat, Arenado will always bring elite defense, posting a +10 OAA in 2024.

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David Bednar had been a popular trade rumor for a couple years as well, but his recent downfall has all but negated his value. Already optioned this season, Bednar has posted an ugly 13.50 ERA (9.53 FIP) in four outings. Coming off a 2024 where he posted a 5.77 ERA (4.80 FIP), Bednar could likely be had for low-level prospects. The good news is, Bednar still lives in the upper 90s with his fastball. The bad news? Batters clubbed his fastball to the tune of a .363 xwOBA, hitting six home runs against it last season. To combat the downward trend, Bednar has upped the usage of his curveball, which batters managed a brutal .233 xwOBA against last season. The movement on his curveball is a bit erratic this season, but the Yankees' player development team has been known for fine-tuning pitchers of late.

As the Yankees continue to play well in spite of some (small) flaws, the incentive to plug those holes should only grow for Cashman and company. Adding to an already strong team and returning to the World Series will soften the blow of losing to the Dodgers last season.