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3 Yankees most likely to be traded after Anthony Volpe promotion

By Thomas Carannante |
Championship Series - Houston Astros v New York Yankees - Game Four
Championship Series - Houston Astros v New York Yankees - Game Four / Elsa/GettyImages
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Anthony Volpe is your Opening Day starter at shortstop for the New York Yankees. Rejoice. The organization seemingly finally made the correct decision with one of their top prospects after years of missteps and oversight.

Keep celebrating, Yankees fans. You've earned it. But don't lose sight of the roster ripple effects Volpe's promotion might have. Remember, this wasn't exactly "supposed" to happen. Many figured Volpe would have to spend a few months at Triple-A to begin the 2023 season before getting the big-league nod.

Remember a few weeks ago when Oswald Peraza was the shoo-in to start Opening Day and that the shortstop job was his to lose? Things changed fast, and there's a chance roster moves could be on the way in the coming days/weeks.

Might the Yankees consider trading a few guys who now seem redundant with Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera on the Opening Day roster? Has much of the conversation even changed on this front?

3 Yankees most likely to be traded after Anthony Volpe promotion

Gleyber Torres

Probably not happening but ... with Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu in tow and a decimated starting rotation, it might be in the interest of the front office to trade a top-10 second baseman for a capable/healthy pitcher, no?

Torres more than likely doesn't have a future in New York and there are plenty of other options in Cabrera, LeMahieu and even Peraza to snag reps at second base in the meantime. Do we prefer this? Not really. But the infield logjam needs to be addressed, especially since there will be a shakeup when Harrison Bader returns (meaning Cabrera will play more infield).

This isn't likely, but Torres has been mentioned in trade rumors for quite some time, and he's the most appealing asset the Yankees are apparently willing to part with at the moment. Luis Severino going down with a lat injury might influence such a move, along with the decision on Volpe.

Oswald Peraza

What's the recourse here? Peraza, who was supposed to be the Opening Day starter at shortstop, was optioned to Triple-A and will begin the 2023 season there as of now. Does this serve any purpose for the Yankees?

Peraza has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues, and a poor Spring Training only would've adversely affected him in this exact scenario. Classic stuff. With his demotion, though, it's clear the Yankees are prioritizing Torres and Isiah Kiner-Falefa ... but why?

We've heard countless times that Volpe and Peraza will be the middle infield of the future for the Yankees. Torres has been falling out of favor for a while, and IKF has no place on this team, with both LeMahieu and Cabrera being better utility players. Why didn't the Yankees non-tender IKF or trade Torres in order to make this sensible accommodation?

Either way, the fact that they didn't leaves Peraza, the team's No. 3 prospect, a potential trade candidate, especially with the shortstop demand across MLB. We previously wondered if the Dodgers might trade one of their top pitching prospects for Peraza. Could that still be a possibility?

Also, you have to wonder if this affected the relationship between Peraza and the Yankees. You give him a chance, ostensibly with a clear path, then challenge him in Spring Training alongside Volpe, and then send him back to the minors. Nobody's necessarily disagreeing with the decision, but it's important to consider the fallout when these types of calls are made.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Nothing against IKF whatsoever, but why is he still here? Why was he tendered a $6 million contract when the Yankees knew Cabrera would take on a more prominent utility role and LeMahieu would more than likely be fully healthy come the start of 2023?

Like we just mentioned, IKF's presence has served as nothing but a distraction and a logjam for better or younger options. Peraza's inclusion on the Opening Day roster would've been a no-brainer had IKF not been here, which would've been the perfect complement to Volpe getting the nod at shortstop.

His trade value is still "meh," but the Yankees would be doing themselves a favor by freeing up his money for some flexibility at the trade deadline, then opening up the infield situation for Peraza to come back up to the bigs not too long after the start of the season.

Emergency catcher or not, IKF's a redundancy, especially since Cabrera and LeMahieu both sport better bats. IKF's hit .278 with a .758 OPS and four steals this spring (not bad!) but you can bet without the luxury of regular reps, his offensive production will be even worse than it was last season.

The Yankees can and should figure out this easy subtraction rather quickly so they can add outfield depth or pitching depth, then promote Peraza later in April/May.

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