Hilarious fake Anthony Volpe trade rumor had Yankees fans far too excited

The New York Yankees' decision to option Anthony Volpe to Scranton at the end of his rehab window showed the club is committed to its newfound sense of urgency, where feelings are second to winning. That refreshing breath of fresh air has led some, like MLB insider Jon Morosi, to believe that Volpe could become a trade piece.

When word came out that the battered Houston Astros lost Carlos Correa, who had been filling in for the injured Jeremy Peña, for the year with a devastating ankle injury, a parody account on Twitter/X going by the handle @HollyBaylorMLB floated a fake report that Houston engaged the Yankees about a trade for Volpe.

Fans lost their minds. Some got fooled and thought this was a real report, while others got in on the joke and played along.

Fake Anthony Volpe trade report shows how little value the Yankees could get for him currently

During his rehab in Somerset, Volpe debuted a brand new swing that his diehard supporters believed could finally unlock the 25-year-old's offensive potential. Instead, he slashed a punchless .241/.324/.241. Fine, he was knocking off the rust. Let's see how he does in Scranton. So far, it's a .240/.269/.400 line over six games that has inspired little confidence.

Mind you, this isn't the first time that Volpe has overhauled his swing, yet his performance, or lack thereof, has remained consistent.

Even if you wanted to paint Volpe as a fundamentally sound defensive wiz with a slightly below average bat, a la David Eckstein, Elvis Andrus, or many others who have had productive careers throughout the years, you'd have a hard sell.

On Wednesday, down in Scranton, Spencer Jones blasted a double to deep right-center with two outs. Volpe was on first base, and seemingly forgot how many outs there were as he pulled up while rounding second to check and see if the ball was caught. It was too late once he realized that it wasn't, and he failed to score when he should have.

Then, on Thursday, he made yet another defensive miscue, botching a routine grounder to further emphasize the Yankees' decision to keep him away from the active roster.

A shortstop who doesn't hit, makes baserunning blunders, and tied with Trevor Story for the third-most errors in the MLB last season, simply isn't worth very much on the trade market, regardless of the team control he comes with. His value dips even further if he's struggling to hit in Double-A and Triple-A.

Maybe Volpe goes on a tear in Scranton at some point and can revive some buzz that the Yankees can cash in on, but as of now, his trade value is equivalent to that of a change-of-scenery candidate. That's not worth very much. Given his notoriety as part of the Yankees' hype machine, don't expect this to be the final fake trade rumor involving him, so tread carefully; it might only get worse from here.

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