Miguel Andújar somehow becoming coveted trade chip is another Yankees nightmare

You just have to laugh. There's nothing else you can do. Because this is a never-ending trend for the New York Yankees. The Bombers continue to watch players who have failed in the Bronx thrive elsewhere. They continue to watch their diminished assets rediscover their footing in new settings.

Fans took exception with Isiah Kiner-Falefa's ridiculous 2024 season with the Blue Jays after the weekend series in Toronto. It is objectively infuriating, but what are we gonna do? IKF was never expected to be a key piece for the Yanks, and even when he was acquired, he was never expected to bat near .300.

The list goes on. Harrison Bader is having a very good season with the Mets and of course whipped the Yankees last week. Luis Severino is cruising with the Amazins. Fans couldn't wait for this trio of players to be gone.

And then there's Miguel Andújar, who resurfaced with the Oakland Athletics this season. Care to know what he's doing? On top of (somehow?) emerging as a very good defensive outfielder, he's hitting .305 with a .732 OPS, 114 OPS+, 2 homers and 14 RBI in 32 games.

Just like that, he's become a name in the trade rumor mill ahead of this year's deadline, which is almost impossible to believe.

Miguel Andújar somehow becoming coveted trade chip is another Yankees nightmare

Once upon a time, Andújar was the future third baseman of the Yankees. He finished second behind Shohei Ohtani in the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting. But then it all came crashing down.

Andújar suffered a freak season-ending shoulder injury in 2019. The Yankees then moved him to the outfield in 2020 after Gio Urshela emerged as one of the best third basemen in the league. Good problem to have, we guess, but Andújar was never the same.

He somehow lasted into Sept. of 2022 with the Yankees despite multiple public spats about his playing time at the big-league level in addition to being shoved down in the minor leagues. The Yankees seemingly made his life miserable for little to no reason. He could've been let go when it was obvious he was no longer needed. Give him a new opportunity somewhere else. Why continue on with a pairing that both parties are dissatisfied with?

But that's summed up the Yankees' front office in recent years. Before they redeemed themselves this past offseason, their decision making was characterized by passiveness, letting assets depreciate to nothing, and not being aggressive enough when the time called for it. Andújar was essentially untradable after his 2019 injury, but the Yankees didn't do right by the once-promising slugger.

He's persevered, though. Andújar has stuck around and dealt with unfavorable situations in Pittsburgh and Oakland. Now that he's shining during his short A's stint, the "what have you done for me lately" mindset at the trade deadline has made him an asset to teams in need of a competent player.

Six seasons later, the A's are going to get more in return for 40+ games of Andújar, while the Yankees let him unnecessarily languish for twice the amount of time on the field. Ridiculous.