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

Over the last few years, the New York Yankees have gone into the trade deadline as surefire buyers. This year, though, with the Bombers at 55-51 -- 10.5 games back of the AL East lead and 3.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot -- it’s unclear what direction Brian Cashman and the front office will go.

While a 3.5-game deficit in the Wild Card race is reasonable to make up, this year’s trade deadline is a seller’s market. Because the postseason is well within reach, the Yankees want to be competitive in 2024, and the trade market is favoring those looking to offload talent, the opportunity to retool rather than straight up sell or buy is in the Yankees’ best interest.

At the very least, they can part with players they don't plan on keeping beyond 2023 and get something of value or shed payroll. Why wouldn't they do that? On the other hand, they could have a shot at salvaging 2023 with a couple of roster adjustments. Maybe some new faces can reinvigorate th

Here are four players that should be traded and three players who should be held onto to give the Yankees a chance to compete in 2023 and beyond.

Anthony Rizzo

Rizzo has been the worst position player in MLB since the start of June. In 44 games across the last two months, Rizzo has a 44 wRC+ and -0.8 fWAR – the worst among all qualified hitters. Despite his struggles, Rizzo should draw plenty of interest if he’s available because of his track record, and almost all contenders would be interested in adding a quality left-handed bat.

While Rizzo has been good during his time in pinstripes, trading him would be addition by subtraction. The biggest reason for this is Jake Bauers’ emergence. Bauers’ 116 wRC+ is the second-best on the Yankees (min 150 PAs), but the Yankees have stuck him in the outfield, where he’s putrid. By getting Bauers back to his natural position, the Yankees will improve defensively in the outfield (currently 19/30 in outfield OAA) and receive better production at the plate than what Rizzo is giving them.

Verdict: Trade

Potential fits: Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins

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