6 Yankees who could be traded after 2023 season demands changes

Players who will be gone? Check. And there's still another layer to peel off the top if you want to discuss guys like Albert Abreu, Billy McKinney, Jake Bauers, Jonathan Loaisiga and a few others. For this exercise, though, we're talking about guys who could be traded. You know, those that actually have a shred of value remaining.

The New York Yankees can easily shuck 10 players off this roster without even thinking. Beyond that, there's still ample work to be done, because no only will they have to replace those 10 players with more effective fill-ins, but there are more positions to upgrade.

This team ranked 29th out of 30 teams in batting average. The starting rotation was decimated with injuries and poor performance. The bullpen is losing a number of players and will welcome back a few on the mend from injury. The position player group needs to drastically improve offensively and defensively for the Yankees to become playoff contenders once again.

There's an interminable amount of work that needs to be done that will require ruthless efficiency. Do Cashman and the Yankees have it in them? Because a good amount of it will have to come on the trade front.

6 Yankees who could be traded after disappointing 2023 season

Kyle Higashioka

Yup, we know we mentioned Higashioka as a non-tender candidate, too, but the need for both starting and backup catchers across the league is always noteworthy. With Austin Wells bursting onto the scene and proving his mettle defensively -- which was believed to be a question mark! -- it seems as if it'll be Wells and Jose Trevino as the 2024 tandem.

Higgy is in line for a ~$2 million salary in 2024, his final year of arbitration eligibility. What's the sense in non-tendering that with so many teams probably looking for a cheap backup option that plays great defense and sports considerable pop from the right side of the plate?

The Yankees have no use for a worse backup option if they plan on going with Wells and Trevino. Higashioka's had a chance to make his mark since eating into Gary Sánchez's playing time dating back to 2020. He's firmly proved he's not a starter, and that's OK. He still brings enough to the table to remain on an active roster, drilling 10 homers (exactly) annually since 2021.

Oswald Peraza

The Yankees still may view Peraza as part of the future of their middle infield, but there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. Much like Pereira, Peraza has been miserable offensively, hitting .191 with a .539 OPS across 191 plate appearances. He struck out in 26% of his at-bats and sported an impossibly awful .081 ISO (read more about that advanced metric).

There's no question Peraza's defensive prowess will lengthen his leash, but the Yankees already have Anthony Volpe at shortstop. Would they consider moving Volpe to second base to accommodate Peraza's superior glove and arm at short? Maybe. But that would mean they'd already be bailing on their long-term plan they were so confident about in spring training.

The more likely option is that Peraza is a starting shortstop somewhere else. But where? Again, smart teams will take note of the Yankees Disease that zaps everybody of their offensive abilities in the Bronx, but rival executives have the upper hand in trade talks. Peraza's first 70 career games have featured a .216 average, .605 OPS and 68 OPS+, and his promising 18-game sample size from 2022 now looks flukey.

Peraza hasn't tanked his trade value and is still just 23 years old. Somebody out there would gladly take him in a larger package, similar to a Pereira situation, if the Yankees cast a wide net. Cashman did well not trading him for Frankie Montas, but now that Volpe is Plan A, perhaps Peraza's out the door for any viable MLB-ready talent that can help the Yanks in 2024.

Clarke Schmidt

If not for an underwhelming month to finish out the year, Clarke Schmidt would've had immense trade value if the Yankees thought about making him available. That said, the Yankees should never consider trading him for Alex Verdugo under any circumstance. Even if his value plummets to zilch.

Schmidt deserves credit, though. He made 32 starts in 2023. He finished with a 4.64 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.35 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 159 innings. That's pretty good for somebody's first full season as a starting pitcher ... especially after he dug himself into a hole with a 6.84 ERA in his first six starts of the year.

The right-hander was undeniably the Yankees' second-best pitcher from May-July and is a controllable asset through 2027. Though he can be extremely helpful as a No. 5 starter, which would deepen the Yankees' rotation as they build it out, perhaps Randy Vásquez is better? Will Warren? Chase Hampton? Drew Thorpe? Luis Gil will be back in 2024, too.

The Yankees have options at the moment that are more highly-touted than Schmidt was when he was rising through the ranks. That shouldn't automatically have them considering a trade, but cheap starting pitching is in the highest demand, and a team with an overflow of lefty bats might make a good match.

Perhaps another talk with the Cardinals will result in a more sensible deal for the Yanks this time around.

Austin Wells

Don't kill the messenger! Austin Wells' surge to end the 2023 season has given the Yankees hope for 2024, since he was able to make everyone shift their attention from the other underperforming youngsters.

That said ... should Wells stand in the way of the Yankees acquiring Juan Soto? Or someone of that semblance of caliber? Absolutely not. This is why you make blockbuster trades. And this is how you sell at a peak.

Do we want to see Wells depart? Absolutely not! But there are far too many problems with the roster to simply pencil him in as an immovable everyday difference-maker. Much like we'd prefer not to judge guys like Peraza and Pereira on small sample sizes like opposing teams will, we can't definitively evaluate Wells on his, because what preceded his two weeks of promising play were two weeks of doomsday at-bats.

But this is a "what have you done for me lately" league, and Wells' finish will dominate the outside perception of his abilities. And if the opportunity arises, the Yankees might need to capitalize on that. Haven't they learned their lesson by hanging on to countless distressed assets they overvalued?

Wells finishing his 19-game showing with a .229 average, .742 OPS, eight runs scored, four homers and 13 RBI in 75 plate appearances made us feel good, but there's no guarantee that heals the deep wounds that need repair.

Gleyber Torres

You knew it was coming. Agree or disagree, Gleyber Torres probably isn't going to remain a Yankee beyond 2024, when he hits free agency for the first time. Though we wouldn't necessarily 100% support trading him months after he finished 2023 as the team's second-best hitter, Torres shouldn't be any team's second-best hitter.

That's the problem with the Yankees right now. Someone who hit .273 with an .800 OPS, 118 OPS+, 90 runs scored, 25 homers, 68 RBI and 13 stolen bases was far and away the team's most successful offensive player not named Aaron Judge. That should be your fourth- or fifth-best hitter.

Perhaps multiple trades can help the Yankees get what they want, though. They have controllable starting pitching as well as middle infield depth. Every team is looking for that, whether they're contending or not. In Torres' case, however, he'll probably be targeted by some of the league's best to fill a second base need with authority.

This could alleviate the Yankees' infield logjam, clear a somewhat premium salary (Torres could make upwards of ~$15 million in 2024), and net them multiple assets in return, helping them potentially solve more than one roster issue with one move.

It's only the "right" decision if the Yankees can capitalize after Torres' rebirth in 2023. A team desperate to win in 2024 might be willing to part with near-MLB-ready prospects. You just never know.

Just don't let Torres find out about this. He might have a meltdown and forbid his family from mentioning trade rumors again.