3 Yankees prospects who should not be traded and 2 who should

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Yankees Prospects Who Should Be Traded: Trey Sweeney

There's no problem with drafting (and signing) talent you believe in, regardless of the position said talent is currently playing. Sure, you might end up overloading your system with shortstops, but ... high school shortstops with athleticism sometimes turn into center fielders. Sometimes they grow into third baseman. Sometimes they don't do much of anything at all.

That said, the Yankees have had a particular fondness for shortstops lately, from Volpe and Peraza to Trey Sweeney and Roderick Arias. In the upcoming MLB draft, it seems quite possible they'll select Sammy Stafura, a local boy/Clemson commit who also plays the position.

There are still tons of mouths to feed; Volpe and Peraza (and Gleyber Torres!) might just be enough to hold down the middle infield at the big-league level for seasons to come, especially if the team is able to add a corner infield star to replace Josh Donaldson. The 23-year-old Sweeney ranks right now as the perfect blend of all the ingredients that could eventually lead to a trade.

Crowded house? You bet. Still desirable and projectable? Absolutely; losing his lefty bat will hurt the Yankees. You have to give to get. Peaking? Not quite, though his power has ticked up at Double-A Somerset lately and his .363 OBP and .773 OPS are nothing to sneeze at. The Yankees loved his advanced college bat (small-school) in 2021, and he's shown no real reason for them to doubt him yet, even if he hasn't excelled at any level.

Some team's going to try to make things painful for the Yankees at this year's deadline, especially with an unbalanced set of buyers. Sweeney should be the first name New York tries to clear from their logjam, and if the Yankees' trade partners find him to be an unacceptable headliner, that's the time when the conversations could get uncomfortable. Good player. Potential standout. Doesn't seem likely to displace the incumbents or the names at Triple-A. Probably time to maximize the asset.

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