3 outfield trade options for 2023 Yankees: 1 obvious, 1 sneaky, 1 mistake

The 2023 New York Yankees were built without a left fielder, in hopes that either $10 million man Aaron Hicks or converted infielder Oswaldo Cabrera would take the spot and run with it.

So far, no dice. Cabrera, a spark plug and excitable boy, hasn't brought the lumber he displayed in 2022 to the 2023 season. Hicks, who once upon a time was a Gold Glove center fielder, has lost a step and closed his eyes, not to mention his anemic bat.

Add in injuries to Giancarlo Stanton, Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge (hip ... something), and the issue just compounds. The Yankees need to promote someone immediately to absorb some reps, but when the trade deadline comes, they'll need to make a high-profile addition akin to last year's Andrew Benintendi import.

Yup. You read that right. The Yankees addressed a deficiency at last year's deadline. They entered the offseason with the same deficiency. They entered the regular season with the same deficiency. Then they got worse. Probably not an issue.

Thanks to Bryan Reynolds and Ian Happ both extending in the NL Central, there are also fewer midseason trade options than ever. On the flip side, that means it won't be "blockbuster season" for the Yankees; there are several candidates to fill the role who won't cost a fortune.

Which way would you prefer? Obvious or under-the-radar? Whatever you do, don't beef it.

3 Yankees trade deadline options for left field void

Obvious Yankees Trade Deadline Candidate: Joc Pederson

You're going to hear a ton about Joc Pederson this season. He slugs. He mashes. He does it in the playoffs. He's been a fun Yankees free agency target and deadline candidate (that has never materialized) several times over.

Now, he's playing out an expensive one-year deal for a floundering San Francisco team, and can probably be had this July for a pro-rated amount of his hefty $19.65 million qualifying offer.

Pederson turned himself into an even more ideal Yankee by ending up on the shelf early in the season with a wrist issue, but he's already hummed along with a .256 average and .365 OBP, good for a 132 OPS+.

Most importantly (for some Yankee fans), a Pederson acquisition would mean an all-time postseason-tested bat making his way to the Bronx. Adding a player who has an .814 career playoff OPS with 12 homers in 79 games could do for the Yankees what Kyle Schwarber did for Boston in 2021 (but with an obvious positional fit this time).

Take Pederson from the remarkably spacious Oracle Park, where the right-field seats are waterlogged, and place him at Yankee Stadium? Yeah. There's a reason this is an obvious target.

Sneaky Yankees Trade Deadline Candidate: Hunter Renfroe

No player with Hunter Renfroe's skill set has ever played for more teams in this short a span of time, but ... if he's dealt at the deadline, that will mark six different clubs since 2019 (Padres, Rays, Red Sox, Brewers, Angels).

Renfroe's availability depends entirely on the Angels' performance, in what might be the most important year in franchise history. If they contend, they'll be giving themselves at least a chance to retain Shohei Ohtani, the singular man who has changed modern baseball. If they're in it at the deadline, they'll need to buy harder than they've ever bought before to maximize that window.

And if they're out of it? Everything must go. That's why we've also got our eyes on Taylor Ward in left, who's controllable through 2026 and won't be traded unless the Angels hit the reset button hard.

If things begin to spiral, even an Ohtani trade could be on the table, making a Renfroe deal the least of the Angels' worries. He's on a one-year deal. He has a sterling defensive reputation with an all-time hose for an arm. He's already accrued 1.0 WAR this season. He has light-tower power, and tormented the Yankees during his season in Boston.

It's strange he continues to bounce around, considering he's a modern baseball dream: grip it, rip it, catch it, hose it. It'd be nice if he hit from the left side, but if the Angels are in sell mode, beggars can't be choosers.