Marlins might secretly have the perfect Yankees trade candidate (but it'll cost them)

The New York Yankees are in desperate need of an additional infielder, preferably right-handed, who can move around the diamond and start semi-regularly. Their trade deadline hinges on finding a primary third baseman — unless Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s defensive rebirth on Sunday against the A's is permanent. Someone who can back up Anthony Volpe at shortstop would also be preferred, given Oswald Peraza's tenuous hold on a roster spot.

Ok, we'll take a second baseman, too. Fine. We're not picky. Just ... a competent piece with an above-average bat who's a threat in the game's sweatier moments and knows how to project an air of calmness with runners on first and second and one out.

The typical names of available infielders have already been cycled through ad nauseam, and not a one of them really seems to fit the Yankees' bill. Luis Rengifo seems even more disastrous now than he did two weeks ago. Ryan McMahon will cost a pretty penny to be pretty good. Eugenio Suarez, who has the most RBI in the seventh inning or later since 2023, is a 34-year-old rental; it's doubtful that Brian Cashman will be able to match up with Arizona on value, and that's only if he even hits the market amid a weird NL Wild Card race.

But one thing Cashman will typically overpay for, using his pitching surplus, is "years of control"; that's how we got Scott Effross, after all.

Sometimes, it doesn't work (Effross, I literally just said it). But other times, it allows you access to the type of developing standout on a lost team wandering in the frozen tundra who has no contention timeline and no attachment to any asset, believing they can always upgrade and reset the clock. How about Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins?

Otto Lopez is a perfect fit for everything the New York Yankees need at the MLB trade deadline. He also comes with 4.5 years of team control.

If any other organization but the Marlins were involved, I'd scoff and say, "Good f***ing luck." But Peter Bendix in Miami seemingly has no attachment to any piece, and no pretense of contending. He's always willing to listen and flip, if it gets him an inch closer to some sort of far-off vision of sustainability, a recipe that doesn't seem to include any of his current players as ingredients. The face of the current Marlins' franchise is somehow a create-a-player who'll make his debut in 2032. You have to think he's open to being impressed in a Lopez package, and he still trusts the Yankees from the Agustin Ramirez/Chisholm Jr. swap that left him with an impressive piece.

But the Yankees certainly won't be able to coerce him into anything without paying top dollar, given that the still-emerging Lopez may only get better in Years 3 or 4.

Fresh off a series in which he absolutely terrorized the Arizona Diamondbacks, Lopez is now hitting .260 with eight homers and 40 RBI, racking up 2.4 bWAR (a higher total than Cody Bellinger, who we can all agree has been very good). The 26-year-old has ably covered second and short so far this season, and while we all know RISP stats are finicky and not necessarily predictive, he's been an absolute killer when the heat is on, hitting .373 in 78 plate appearances with three homers and 31 RBI.

Lopez would solve a long-term Yankees issue, giving them a utility option that levels up their bench immediately and allows DJ LeMahieu to age gracefully off the roster. Now, all they need to do is get ahead of the field and convince Bendix and the Marlins that they have the advanced pitching prospects necessary to get a swap done. Would you include Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz or Carlos Lagrange in a deal? You'd probably need to — and this might be their most valuable deployment.