4 players the Yankees should sell and 3 they should keep at trade deadline

Gleyber Torres

Throughout his career, Gleyber Torres has been a controversial subject as it pertains to his polarizing play. After a stellar first two seasons in the majors, Torres moved to shortstop full-time for two seasons and couldn’t play defense or hit like he had in the past. In 2022, Torres moved back to second base where he’s played solid defense, and his bat has picked back up (112 wRC+).

While teams around the league, most notably the Miami Marlins, have expressed interest in Torres, it’s in the Yankees' best interest to keep him in the Bronx. Trading their 26-year-old middle infielder, who projections believe will play even better down the stretch, doesn’t seem like a good idea for the Yankees this season or in 2024.

Verdict: Keep

Harrison Bader

Harrison Bader has had his moments as a Yankee, but at the end of the day, he struggles to stay healthy, doesn’t have a high offensive ceiling, and is a free agent after the season. Although Bader doesn’t provide much offensively, he hits for a high enough average and has enough power to be an above average offensive contributor when everything goes his way. Additionally, Bader plays a great center field, something that should attract many teams.

While trading Bader complicates things defensively, it’s the right thing to do if the Yankees don’t think they’re going to extend him – which would be a risky investment considering his injury history. If Bader can net the Yankees an intriguing prospect or two, it should be something they pursue instead of giving him a contract they might regret in a few years (or let him walk for nothing).

Verdict: Trade

Potential fits: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Philadelphia Phillies

DJ LeMahieu

In hindsight, giving DJ LeMahieu a six-year $90 million contract wasn’t smart, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees should sell low on him. In the midst of a season with an 89 wRC+, there have been many lows, but LeMahieu showed some signs of life in July, hitting .260/.375/.356 (109 wRC+).

Given his contract, defensive versatility, and bat that projects to be above average down the stretch, there's no reason to ditch DJLM for pennies on the dollar. While his age is certainly catching up to him, LeMahieu showed last year that he can still be effective and, if he’s healthy, there's clearly still some juice in the tank.

Verdict: Keep

Oswald Peraza

The Yankees’ handling of Oswald Peraza is extremely confusing. Peraza started a game in the postseason last year, but after getting beat out by Anthony Volpe in Spring Training, he has only appeared in 19 MLB games in 2023. Although Peraza spent the majority of his season in the minors, once the Yankees promoted him to the majors in July, they instantly inserted him as their leadoff hitter. What?!

Although Peraza was trusted in the leadoff spot, it didn’t last long, as he was eventually bumped to the bottom of the order and then back to Triple-A when the Yankees needed to clear a spot for Aaron Judge’s return. If the Yankees don’t think Peraza can be an impactful player now when they're pressing for anything offensively, then when will they believe in him? If the answer to that question is not anytime soon, which is what it seems like, then they might as well use him as the centerpiece in a big trade before his value plummets.

Verdict: Trade

Potential fits: Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners

Isaiah Kiner-Falefa

Isaiah Kiner-Falefa had a horrible start to the season, but since May he’s quietly been very good at the plate – his 114 wRC+ is the second-best on the Yankees behind Bauers in that time span (min 150 PAs).

While many people around baseball ridiculed the Yankees for turning Kiner-Falefa into a utility player instead of getting rid of him, he can now play six positions (and be an emergency catcher), and if he’s hitting like he's been, it’s an easy way to get him into the lineup (or at the very least be a valuable depth piece).

Verdict: Keep

Domingo Germán

Domingo Germán has had his moments as a Yankee, but now is probably the best time to acquire some assets for him. He's under contract through 2024 and doesn’t project to be a mainstay in the Yankees’ future rotation, so exploring a trade in this seller’s market with numerous teams looking for pitching makes sense.

Although Germán has a 4.77 ERA, his 4.04 xFIP, 3.93 SIERA and 33.5% chase rate are encouraging, and could prompt a contending team to see him as a contributor down the stretch. If that’s the case, the Yankees will likely net an intriguing prospect, who may have a chance to be part of the team's future, unlike Germán, who would likely be, at best, a back-end rotation arm through 2024.

Verdict: Trade