5 Yankees prospects guaranteed to be moved at the 2026 trade deadline

With the trade deadline approaching and the New York Yankees floundering, fans are dreaming of who Brian Cashman will bring in from the trade market to right the ship. The needs are plentiful, and the merits of the candidates are hotly debated. But there are two sides to a trade. And for a contending team like the Yankees, who you give up matters almost as much as who you bring in.

There will be discussions as to who is and isn't untouchable. We don't always know who is on the untouchable list, except for when it leaks, as was the case with Spencer Jones last year. But when it comes to who could be on the move, that's a little easier to figure out.

Brian Cashman has two clear tendencies. One is that he prefers to package multiple mid-to-back-end prospects in his top 30 over giving up his top guys. The second is ensuring that he clears out any future 40-man roster crunches by dealing away Rule 5-eligible prospects who have no immediate pathway to a 40-man roster spot. Case in point, including Jesus Rodriguez in the Camilo Doval trade last year.

That gives us some clear clues as to who Cashman will be dangling before Aug. 3, and five names stick out in particular as guys who are both Rule 5 eligible and close enough to potentially get snagged in the Rule 5 draft this winter.

5 Yankees prospects whose Rule 5 Draft status almost ensures trade deadline departure

Kyle Carr - LHP - No. 11 overall prospect

Kyle Carr's performance at Somerset this season has turned him into a prime trade chip and also earned him a promotion to Scranton. His first Triple-A start happened on July 5, allowing no earned runs over 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Carr has a ceiling of a No. 4 starter and, as a fallback, could become a lefty reliever, making him appealing to a lot of rebuilding teams.

Unfortunately, he's behind a plethora of more highly regarded pitching prospects here, such as Ben Hess, Bryce Cunningham, Chase Hampton, and others, and will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time this winter. That last fact pretty much punches his ticket out of here.

Jace Avina - OF - No. 19

23-year-old Jace Avina has become a breakout star down at Somerset, hitting a career-best 16 homers through 65 games and showing significantly more pop than he has at any point since turning pro in 2022. The extreme discrepancy between what he's been and what he's become today has him looking like a prime sell-high candidate.

While the underlying metrics point to his power surge being real, there's still some concern as to whether or not he can make enough contact. His 30.9% whiff rate is a concern, and his 81.7% zone contact rate is a tick below average. He's also Rule 5 eligible, and with Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez well ahead of him, as well as other options like Marco Luciano performing well in Scranton, it sure looks like Avina gets squeezed out.

Eric Reyzelman - RHP - No. 28

Eric Reyzelman blew away Double-A competition with a 48.5% strikeout rate and began hitting triple-digits with his fastball for the first time in his career. The 25-year-old carried over his strikeouts since being promoted to Scranton, but walks have been a problem.

Still, live-armed relievers like Reyzelman are prime Rule 5 bait (see: Winquest, Cade). There's a pretty good chance he gets snatched up if left unprotected, and with a host of other arms ahead of him in New York, he's likely going to be used as a kicker to get a deadline deal over the top.

Cade Smith - RHP - No. 16

Much of what applies to Carr also applies to Cade Smith. The 24-year-old right-hander doesn't have a pretty ERA in Somerset, but outside of a ridiculous 2.08 HR/9, he has shown strikeout stuff and improving command. Again, though, there are so many starting pitching prospects ahead of him in the pipeline, which makes him expendable.

Henry Lalane - LHP - No. 14

Henry Lalane is the only player on the list who doesn't quite fit the bill. The 22-year-old is Rule 5 eligible, but was just promoted to High-A after smoking his way through the competition at Tampa with a 2.74 ERA and 32.8% strikeout rate. Intriguing, for sure, but unlikely to get selected if left unprotected due to how far away he is from the majors.

A six-foot-seven hard-throwing southpaw, Lalane can remind some of Carlos Lagrange, but doesn't reach quite the same heights on the radar gun. Like Lagrange, control issues and injuries have been major issues for him earlier in his career.

His run at Tampa had him as Baseball America's biggest riser in the Yankees' system, coming in at No. 5 in their rankings (versus No. 14 per MLB Pipeline), could make him highly sought after in trade talks, and the risk associated with him might make the Yankees willing to part with him in order to preserve other top assets like George Lombard Jr. and Dax Kilby. If the Yankees end up swinging a blockbuster, Lalane could be the centerpiece.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow