Yankees make trade with A's to address Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo injuries

We have a trade! The New York Yankees are badly in need of depth as injuries started piling up, so they went out and got somebody who can hold down the corner infield spots with Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo out and DJ LeMahieu struggling.

JD Davis, welcome back to New York! The former Mets slugger signed with the Athletics in the offseason, but Oakland just traded him to the Bronx in exchange for cash and infielder Jordan Groshans.

Davis has logged 24 games at first base and 14 at third this season, but hasn't impressed with the bat in his 39 contests. He's hitting just .236 with a .670 OPS and five RBI. That said, those numbers shouldn't overshadow what he's done since the second half of 2022.

With the San Francisco Giants, Davis hit .251 with a .764 OPS, 113 OPS+, 26 homers and 83 RBI in 193 games. He also logged 116 games at third last year, so his exposure to the hot corner is recent and plentiful.

The Yankees need bodies right now, and one can argue Davis is a solid get here, especially when realizing this team employs Jahmai Jones, Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera and Trent Grisham at the moment.

Yankees make trade with A's to address Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo injuries

As the Yankees' depth has thinned, pitching staff has gotten tired, and weaknesses have been exposed over the last few weeks, the team has endured its worst stretch of 2024. It's standard practice for your 162-game baseball season, but they definitely needed to act with a semblance of urgency. Keeping everything afloat in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline is paramount.

Now that the DH spot will be open with Stanton on the IL, the addition of Davis gives the Yankees a lot of flexibility at the moment. Judge and Soto can get days off their feet, and LeMahieu doesn't need to play as much. Maybe some playing time for Peraza with Anthony Volpe or Gleyber Torres DHing can help the Yankees see if they have an asset in the top prospect.

The Yankees are going through it right now, but they still remain atop the mountain. And unlike last year, they're actually addressing voids meaningfully. Have to at least appreciate that.