3 unexpected 2023 MLB trade deadline options for Yankees

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.