FanSided

3 unexpected 2023 MLB trade deadline options for Yankees

By Adam Weinrib |
Milwaukee Brewers v Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers v Cincinnati Reds / Kirk Irwin/GettyImages
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The 2023 Yankees' season has been equal parts enticing and frustrating.

Exciting: The team is well over .500 in a loaded AL East after shrugging off a brutally mediocre April.

Frustrating: The injuries, man. The injuries just don't stop. Add in a pile of maladies to a plan that included not adding a left fielder or left-handed bats on offense, and you've got something between a juggernaut and a house of cards.

The Yankees are good. They could be great.

So, where will they pivot at the trade deadline to help fill out the roster? Left-handers at the dish will help. Outfield backup plans will be crucial. Jake Bauers might be a diamond in the rough -- over the weekend, he and Aaron Judge were the only Yankees players with .900+ OPS marks -- but the revolving door in left field has already discarded Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Cabrera before the universe brought Cabrera back on a flight to LA. They could use, at the very least, some options at the position.

And, after all, isn't it usually the team that trades for Eddie Rosario that wins the deadline, rather than the GM that plunders the All-Star team for Andrew Benintendi? This summer, Brian Cashman should call a few aggrieved teams about their powerhouse outfield options.

Outside of Randal Grichuk (discussed here) and Tyler O'Neill (discussed here, probably a bad idea), the Yankees have options.

Yankees Rumors: New York's Outfield Targets at 2023 MLB Trade Deadline

Seth Brown, Oakland A's

We know, we know. Don't trade with Oakland. But ... have you seen the other side of the Frankie Montas deal lately? The Yankees might not have gotten much of the anticipated upside in Montas' arsenal, but they stuck the A's with several prospects who can't get their ERAs under 7.00. Maybe it's the Vegas A's who'll want to avoid talking to Cashman moving forward, instead.

If Oakland's up for it, though, the Yankees should contact them regarding patient slugging outfielder Seth Brown, who's gotten somewhat buried this season due to an oblique injury that kept him on the shelf as the A's fell to 6-84, or whatever their current record is.

Last season, the 29-year-old Brown posted a 117 OPS+, socking 25 homers and driving in 73 runs for a punchless offense. Steroid-suspended Ramon Laureáno is widely viewed as the better player (as his 1.5 WAR this season for a team stuck in drudgery will attest), but because of Brown's injury and slow start to 2023, teams might be able to pry him loose from the A's at a discount.

And, let's face it -- if you're going to take a chance on any of Oakland's damaged goods this summer, you'd better do it at a discount.

Other option in green and gold? Brent Rooker, who might be Oakland's lone All-Star, but also might be DFA'd by the end of the summer (according to CBS Sports) like Jesús Aguilar just was.

Nick Senzel, Cincinnati Reds

The Reds are going to have to trade someone to make room for Elly De La Cruz, and we'll speak more about them in a second. The most likely to go seems to be former 2016 second overall pick Nick Senzel.

While Jonathan India might be moving back to third to accommodate De La Cruz, Senzel's already moved from third to the outfield to help clear up a logjam. There's nowhere else to move him but another team.

The righty-hitting Senzel isn't a power bat (hasn't hit more than 12 homers in a season, and hasn't reached half of that total since his rookie year). Instead, he's a versatile defender with the athleticism the Yankees covet and -- more importantly -- he's an "I can fix him" candidate in Cashman's traditional mold. The Yankees love salvaging former top prospects with pedigree, and Senzel came out of college with an elite hit tool. He's about to turn 28, and anyone who deals for him gets him for 2.5 seasons.

Don't be surprised if the Yankees make a play for Senzel and his 0.7 bWAR (meaning he'd be worth an extra win to the Yanks, already, over Oswaldo Cabrera and his -0.6 mark). Or, if you really want to get crazy, how about another top prospect in Angels outfielder Jo Adell? The 24-year-old über prospect hasn't managed to crack LAA's outfield, but he's got 18 homers and a .960 OPS at Triple-A. That's in Cashman's wheelhouse, too.

Want to get grittier rather than take a chance on projected talent? There's another Reds outfielder who might be a nice fit.

Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds

Left-handed hitting outfielder? Check. Former Tampa Bay Rays draft pick? Check. Second round. $740k salary this season and control through 2026? Check, check.

If the Reds want to push the button and move warp speed into a youth movement, then Rake Fraley might be the odd man out of the outfield, and he'd be a perfect utility man in the Bronx.

Fraley's .777 OPS and 105 OPS+ mark this season don't tell the whole story (though they are good!). In 25 games in left field, he's hitting .319 with a .912 OPS. With RISP, he's been patently ridiculous, hitting .339 with a 1.040 OPS in 65 plate appearances, driving in 31 runs. In 100 plate appearances with men on, he's hitting .337 with a .400 OBP. With a runner on third and two outs, he hits .286. Don't tell Fraley the inning's over!

Wondering why it feels like you've received disproportionate Fraley highlights this season, considering his numbers are pretty good, not great? It's because he seems to have a penchant for coming through in the clutch, and also possesses that indefinable quality winning teams seem to have in spades. He hustles. He pokes. He bothers you. And whoever trades for him this summer is going to be very happy.

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