4 Yankees players who won't survive the trade deadline

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The New York Yankees were three innings away from entering the All-Star Break with all the momentum in the world, after an otherwise frustrating first half.

When the dust from Gleyber Torres' botched inning-ending double play ball settled, they were instead one loss richer, creating a resounding echo of, "SELL!" chants for the team's entire five-day break. Baseball truly is a game of inches.

Then came the series loss to the NL-worst Colorado Rockies when play resumed. That might prove to be the juncture during which the front office decided to tear it down.

In reality, the Yankees have a far more nuanced task ahead of them. They remain in the Wild Card race, and shouldn't throw in the towel entirely. Plus, most of their biggest problems are unsellable assets. Josh Donaldson can't be given away; he can only be benched until the terms of his employment expire. Just a reminder to fans: If someone isn't competent, no one else is interested in them, either. Nobody's barking at the Yankees' door to acquire any part of DJ LeMahieu's contract.

So, how do the Yankees handle the deadline? Acquire controllable pieces to aid their quest to compete in 2024. Sell pure rentals who can be replaced (and who possess some value). Promote kids. Potentially play your only remaining All-Star trade card and complete what was left unfinished at last year's deadline. Try to reach the finish line with momentum this season and, failing that, set yourself up well for next year. And, yes, bench Josh Donaldson.

Considering he's owed a $10+ million chunk for the remainder of the season, he's probably stuck here (but will be long gone entering 2024). The rest of these players might not be so lucky.

4 players who won't be on Yankees roster (or in Yankees system) in August

Gleyber Torres

It's not the boldest prediction to insinuate that Torres has worn out his welcome in New York, considering the team thought they'd traded him to the Marlins last summer for Pablo López. Instead, López was swapped for .400 chaser Luis Arraez this winter, while Torres is still in the Bronx, still barely above league-average offensively (105 OPS+ at the break), and still "too critical" to the Yankees offense for some to stomach dealing, which is an embarrassing reality.

He is both one of their very few above-average hitters in the Yankees' current lineup, and not good enough. Imagine that.

Torres had a far superior season last year (24 homers, 76 RBI, 115 OPS+) despite a monstrous post-deadline slump. The prevailing wisdom was he'd build on that progress this year without baked-in trade distractions. That has not happened.

If the Yankees do dangle Torres, who hasn't merited an extension, they'd better consummate the deal this time around. Attempting to trade him and failing once more could wreck their starting second baseman's August. He's started the second half scorching hot after a middling first half, making a trade all the more likely if the Yankees continue to slip in spite of his surge.

Estevan Florial

The Yankees do not think Estevan Florial is a Yankee. Jimmy Cordero's suspension gave them a freed-up 40-man spot for Florial when Jake Bauers went down with a shoulder issue. They did not use it, promoting strikeout vacuum and Quad-A player (being generous) Franchy Cordero instead.

They don't believe Florial is a big-leaguer. They didn't want to be proven right or proven wrong last week. They simply wanted him to keep mashing at Triple-A. That screams, "We are trading him."

Florial entered Opening Day's showdown with the San Francisco Giants as a pinch-runner before officially being DFA'd and exposed to waivers (to facilitate the Franchy acquisition). Against all odds, he returned to the Yankees, indicating a startlingly low degree of interest. Nobody saw the Thairo Estrada Story and realized that sometimes, when the Yankees prioritize a D+ veteran instead of a young player, they're wrong to do so? Interesting.

All Florial has done is mash since returning to the organization, hitting 21 homers with a .985 OPS and 18 stolen bases in 272 at-bats this year. There's still plenty of swing and miss in his game, with 92 Ks, and at the age of 25, this may be his last opportunity to be a semi-valuable trade piece. No one was interested when the Yankees floated a trial balloon back in April. Has he done enough to be the third piece in a deadline swap since then?

Either way, the Yankees won't use him.

Will Warren

The 2023 Yankees have been diagnosed with a hybrid deadline, based on the contents of this column so far. If they sell, they'll sell rentals and players who've played their way out of favor. If they buy, they'll be using mid-tier prospects to do so. People who've distinguished themselves, but who've also been lapped by other stars of the system.

Enter Will Warren, perhaps the system's top pitching prospect entering the season, but someone who hasn't been mentioned much since being elevated to Triple-A earlier in the year. He's been fine! He's been fine. He's been the exact level of "solid" that doesn't spark much discussion.

Warren remains MLB Pipeline's No. 7 prospect, one slot behind breakout changeup artist Drew Thorpe, who could really use a "challenge" promotion soon. He's also one slot ahead of righty Richard Fitts, who's gaining momentum at Double-A Somerset, as well as two spots ahead of Yoendrys Gomez, who's returned strong from injury.

Warren's supposed ETA is 2023, but both Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez have proven enough in spot starts to continue receiving them. He's a sweeper specialist, and he's been perfectly alright since getting the bump to Triple-A (4.37 ERA, 38 Ks in 35 innings, 1.37 WHIP). That WHIP's been a problem at both levels (1.30 at Double-A, 1.34 overall). Warren is probably a back-end starter in the bigs, but the Yankees have plenty of those, with Luis Gil also returning. Unless something falls into the Yankees' lap, Warren should probably be the highest-profile prospect they dangle this summer -- but he should be available.

Wandy Peralta

Last summer, Jordan Montgomery was the Yankees' shocking exodus. How could they possibly deal out of their current rotation during a playoff push?! The answer was, "Harrison Bader and an additional starter in López." Unfortunately, the second part backfired and the Yankees were left thin all August, but ... still, defensible trade, ultimately.

This summer, if the Yankees do employ a hybrid model, the surprising sale could be Peralta. If there's one thing the Yankees do well, it's create viable bullpen arms from shocking canvases. Peralta was an objective steal in 2021, but his free agency is fast approaching this winter.

While his numbers, on the surface, appear to be the same as they ever were this season (2.62 ERA after a 2.72 ERA last year), the underlying metrics indicate a second-half regression could be coming. Combine that with his mere two months of control, and Peralta might be headed for a new team this deadline, especially if the Yankees are confident in Jonathan Loaisiga's return (and believe Clarke Schmidt could be a bullpen piece down the stretch, too).

The Yankees will add a reliever at this year's deadline. They also might try to sell relatively high on Peralta, before his expected ERA (4.94) becomes reality. His walk rate has been bottom-of-the-barrel this season, ranking in the third percentile. He's kept the ball off the barrel, but he's clogged the bases far too often, leading to low-percentage xwOBA/xERA numbers.

All winter, fans worried about the beloved Nestor Cortes Jr. being the team's "baseball is a business" sell high candidate. Turns out, they might've been focused on the wrong quirky lefty.

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