3 former Yankees players who would solve team's problems right now

Let's address this right off the top. No Aroldis Chapman. No Joey Gallo. Come on.

Getting yammed on by Gallo last week in Minnesota didn't change that. He wouldn't have worked here. That has become extremely obvious.

Watching Chapman begin his 2023 season with the kind of command, control and velocity we haven't seen since ... well, 2021 when he developed his splitter with the Yankees, hasn't changed anything. It's been phenomenal having him gone -- and, as we all know, that hot 2021 start didn't last. He ended up worse than ever.

Those two trouble spots aside, you don't have to look too far to find some former Yankees who would fit like gloves on this current roster, which doesn't have a left fielder or a bench, at the moment. During Aaron Judge's weekend absence, as Jake Bauers waited for his MRI results (they were, eventually, deemed good), they played with a two-man bench with a backup catcher and one outfielder. That is ... wholly insane.

Add in the trouble spots in the rotation (Clarke Schmidt shouldn't be here, Jhony Brito probably shouldn't either), and it's clear which former Yankees would be welcomed back.

3 former Yankees players who should still be on 2023 roster

Mike Tauchman

After an unsuccessful stint with the San Francisco Giants and a one-year trip to the KBO, former Yankees left fielder Mike Tauchman is BACK in the minors with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

Remember when Aaron Judge's future was up in the air and he was attending Tampa Bay Buccaneers games? Remember when Tauchman, of all people, was by his side, and we couldn't quite figure out what that meant? If only Judge had managed to finagle the two of them as a package deal...

So far at Triple-A, the 32-year-old Tauchman is hitting .320 with a .478 OBP and .978 OPS. Frankly, if the Cubs wanted to be cool about it, they'd hand over Tauchman as a token of their appreciation for the Scott Effross/Hayden Wesneski deal.

Add in Tauchman's left-handed bat, speed, and familiarity with the Yankees, and he'd be a perfect fit while the Yankees wait to find their left fielder of the future.

As wild as it is to say out loud, the 2019 Yankees were never quite the same after Tauchman's leg caught in left field at Fenway Park and he suffered a Grade 2 calf strain that ended his season in September. Sounds like it's time to right a wrong.

Sonny Gray (After Getting 'Men in Black' Wiped)

OK, presuming Sonny Gray was willing to completely forget his previous career with the Yankees and get his brain chemistry altered in order to start anew with a clean slate, he'd be a pretty enjoyable fit right about now!

And, after all, isn't this a completely different scenario? It's not terribly far-fetched. Sure, Aaron Boone is still here (???). Brian Cashman is still here (???????). But Larry Rothschild and the Yankees' Dinosaur Pitching Program (DPP) are long gone. Nobody's viewing Gray as a generic right-hander who should be thriving with high fastballs, despite his preference for the low two-seamer (we hope).

In 2017-18, the Yankees were confused by modern pitching technology, but even Gray admitted this week that only the Astros seemed to know the secrets back then. The Matt Blake-era Yankees have definitely caught up, though they still seem to prioritize sweeper/changeup. With a pitcher as talented as Gray, you'd assume they would've found common ground.

Best of all, when Carlos Rodón and Luis Severino come back, Gray could live the pressure-free Yankees existence he always craved, slotting in as the team's No. 4 starter. Nestor Cortes Jr. in the fifth spot! It's all happening, the way Cashman intended when he added Rodón to Frankie Montas! This dream world is better than reality.

In real life, Gray and his AL-leading 0.77 ERA would never come back here, and the fans would never have him back. But, in any scheme to steal former Yankees from across the league, he clearly merits a top-three draft pick.