3 Yankees players whose 40-man roster spots are in jeopardy at MLB trade deadline

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Maybe you don't believe in the 2023 Yankees. You know what? Totally get that.

Regardless of the rancid vibes at the moment, though, these Yankees reside in the thick of the playoff race. They're smack in the middle of Gerrit Cole's prime. Aaron Judge's, too. It would be great if he came back. Splurging wildly at the trade deadline to supplement a long-shot contender would be a wild miscalculation, but it would be irresponsible not to attempt to fuel and retool at the midway point in some capacity. If you, as a fan, would rather "lose so that Cashman gets what's coming to him!!" ... no. That's not how it works here.

Nobody should be off the table in trade. If somebody wants to rid the Yankees of a potentially troublesome veteran contract, they should be open to it. If they find a rich team that wants to act as the type of weigh station they should've been all along, they should shake hands. This deadline should involve some reshuffling aimed at 2023 and beyond -- and, most importantly, a pair of bats who can help both this year and next.

Whether it's a radical redesign or a helpful supplementation, the Yankees have to add someone. That means that a few of their current underperformers are at risk of being dropped and left unprotected.

There are a few current players on the 40-man who could be moved seamlessly from the shorter IL to the 60-day, which could clear up space for trades (Greg Allen, possibly Nestor Cortes). There are also a few players on the fringes of this conversation who could survive, but won't be guaranteed protection if things really get crazy (Albert Abreu). But three players stand above the rest in terms of nervous deadline energy.

3 Yankees whose 40-man roster spots could be lost at 2023 MLB trade deadline

Deivi Garcia

Abreu would be first on the chopping block, considering how will Nick Ramirez has performed, if the Yankees weren't obsessed with his fire-breathing right arm. He's also pitched relatively well of late, holding things down at Citi Field and sporting an 0.96 ERA in his past seven appearances (9.1 innings).

Garcia, sadly, has been the low man on the 40-man totem pole for seemingly years now. It was shocking when Estevan Florial lost his spot before Garcia this spring, and it remains shocking, as the right-hander's bid to find his control as a short reliever at Triple-A hasn't gone as planned.

Garcia, now injured, sports a 1.74 WHIP and 5.23 ERA in 18 games (31 innings pitched) with Triple-A Scranton this season. We thank him for his service in 2020, as well as his three-inning save at Yankee Stadium against the A's earlier this season when the bullpen was on red alert, but something is very wrong here. The Yankees are three years deep in trying to figure it out, and haven't gotten any closer to the release point and zip that worked during his big-league cameo in the pandemic season. Maybe Pedro Martinez can get him right during some private sessions, but Garcia's next big-league trip -- if it ever comes -- likely won't be with the Bombers.

Franchy Cordero

Did you know Franchy Cordero was still in the Yankees' system? Did you know that, while the team was circling through Allen and Billy McKinney, they still had the man who socked four early homers at their disposal and repeatedly said, "Nope"?

That showed some fortitude, on the Yankees' part. Passing on promoting Cordero, who hasn't had a consistent big-league opportunity since April 28, was unequivocally the right decision. But still. You know how much this team values its 40-man guys. This team stuck with Brooks Kriske for I believe two decades before finally letting him throw wild pitches elsewhere.

Keeping the Yankees' misplaced loyalty in mind, their ability to compartmentalize Cordero and bury him at Scranton indicates he isn't a part of their future plans, and they're merely controlling him as long as they're conveniently able to. When the trade deadline rolls around, he's more than likely gone, despite his -- wait, are you kidding me? -- .343 average and 1.056 OPS at Triple-A.

When you look up "Quad-A" and "Exit Velocity" in the FanGraphs Encyclopedia of MLB Disappointments, Cordero is the most prominently featured picture. Someone else will be tantalized by his skills this summer. Someone else will think they hold the key to unlocking his contact potential. That someone else will be wrong -- unless it's the Rays.

Josh Donaldson

Will the Yankees cut Donaldson? We're still doubtful. But is his roster spot in jeopardy? Absolutely! We're watching the same season, right? If he survives until the end of 2023, he'll do so on thin ice from July through September.

No matter how many times Aaron Boone publicly states that he has confidence in Donaldson, you know that, behind the scenes, the team is worried. Donaldson was brought in at a $20+ million price tag to give the Yankees some edge, play excellent defense, and translate his high exit velocities into maintaining 25-30 homer seasons.

Instead, he's gotten his team laughed at more often than he's intimidated the Yankees' opponent. He's been unable to do anything but hit the occasional longball in the midst of a dispiriting loss. Defensively, he's held up. Except at Fenway Park. But the total package has been arguably worse than what Aaron Hicks provided before he was DFA'd.

The Yankees don't like to lose and admit defeat, and sending Donaldson into the wild so someone else could potentially pick him up is an unappealing scenario (again, especially in the wake of Hicks' resurgence in Baltimore). He's clearly done more to earn the "in jeopardy" tag than Ramirez or Abreu, though. New York might be more willing to cut a cheap reliever than a supposed offensive starter with MVP pedigree, but Donaldson's the most obvious upgrade spot at this year's deadline. DJ LeMahieu's here long-term, a problem in and of itself. Donaldson's not. His time is nearly up, no matter what Boone tells the masses.

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