Yankees better hope lefty-mashing target doesn't thrive after Rays stole him in trade

Two things that the New York Yankees need are right-handed bats and help in the outfield. Given their tight budget — the one they claim doesn't exist — getting one player who solves both issues would be a plus. Having him cost next to nothing is ideal.

One player the club has eyed to fill these roles has been former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays. Hays mashes lefties and would be an inexpensive free-agent signing, but believe it or not, an even cheaper target existed. Until now.

At the end of December, the Detroit Tigers designated 25-year-old right-handed-hitting outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy for assignment. Quickly, speculation came that he'd be the perfect flyer for the Yankees. That dream just ended in the worst way possible, with the Tigers agreeing to send Malloy to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash.

Yankees better hope the Tigers didn't just gift Rays a new terror in Justyn-Henry Malloy

They say trading with the Rays always ends badly for the club on the other side of the deal. Tampa regularly finds undervalued players, pays below market prices, and then maximizes their talents once they arrive on Florida's west coast.

With Malloy, it looks like they've already found their next project. Once a former top prospect in the Tigers' system, Malloy topped out at No. 7 in their system in 2023. In 2024, he'd make his big league debut, enduring some struggles along the way. The youngster had displayed some serious raw power, but a 37% strikeout rate held him down to a .203/.291/.366 line.

Malloy split time between Triple-A Toledo and the Tigers' big league club in 2025. In Toledo, he slashed in a whopping .323/.453/.502 in 329 plate appearances. In Detroit, he managed just 127 plate appearances, hitting .221/.346/.308. While not overly impressive, he drastically improved his strikeout rate to a reasonable 25.2% and walked at a stellar 15.7%.

Throughout his young big league career, Malloy has shown a consistent ability to punish left-handed pitching. He's crushed southpaws to the tune of a .250/.397/.423 line between 2024 and 2025. Sounds like something the Yankees could have desperately used.

Of course, there's a ceiling for more with Malloy. He has an exceptional feel for the strike zone, rarely chases, and possesses the potential to hit home runs in bunches. He turns 26 on Feb. 19 and has yet to receive regular at-bats over an extended period of time to truly get in the groove.

He's a serviceable platoon bat right now, but with some nurturing, he could become much more. That's something that the Rays excel at, and if they succeed with Malloy, he could torment the Yankees for years to come.