Yankees insider floats nightmare trade deadline reunion that will drive fans insane

With the trade deadline about six weeks away, the New York Yankees already know what they're going to need if they want to gear up for another deep playoff run. It starts with pitching, as always, but infield help and better depth are right there as well.

To get more specific, third base needs a solution, as just about every fan predicted heading into 2025. They knew DJ LeMahieu wouldn't be a real option there, and for as much as fans loved Oswaldo Cabrera, he would've been better suited for a super utility role before his season-ending injury.

Oh yeah, and Oswald Peraza just never felt like he was going to work out. That has proven to be true. At this point, he can't even be considered a bench option if this team wants to be serious.

So, what will the options be? Everyone's focus is on the Arizona Diamondbacks because if they fall further out of contention, then third baseman Eugenio Suarez is 100% going to get moved. He'd be a great fit.

But beyond that? It's kind of bleak. New York could see what the Pirates want for the defense-first Ke'Bryan Hayes, but he comes with a notable financial commitment (four years, $30 million). Other than that, we can't think of an impact addition on either side of the ball.

You know what the Yankees definitely don't need though? A reunion with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, which MLB insider Jon Heyman floated this week. In what alternate universe would this help the Yankees? He's logged most of his games at shortstop this season. Though he's hitting .288 at the moment, the Yankees were attracted to his ability to hit for contact the first time around when they acquired him from the Twins. They were burned when he batted .253 with an 81 OPS+ across his 255 games in the Bronx.

Are Yankees due for a trade deadline reunion with Isiah Kiner-Falefa? Prepare yourself for IKF.

Even if this was a solution to improve their depth, that ship has already sailed. What's done is done with IKF in New York. The Yankees put in him an awful position as a stopgap shortstop after passing on multiple marquee options, moved him to the outfield where he very much wasn't a fit, and then proceeded to dig their heels in when it was clear his production was costing the team.

This is a "bad vibes" reunion — both with how IKF performed and how he was unfairly treated — and the Yankees would be better off finding a battle-tested veteran who would be motivated to win a title in New York.