Yankees make bizarre trade with Athletics that could be Oswaldo Cabrera warning

Last week, the New York Yankees acquired another former Colorado Rockies player, this time one with some intrigue. A previous top-100 prospect, Yanquiel Fernandez arrived in the Bronx just in time for spring training. But just like that ... he's gone ... for now.

On Monday, the Yankees made a trade with the Athletics to acquire infielder Max Schuemann. They sent minor league pitcher Luis Burgos to the A's and DFA'd Fernandez to make room for Schuemann on the 40-man roster.

Some might say this is a warning for Oswaldo Cabrera as the Yankees' roster complications continue to sort themselves out.

Schuemann is regarded as a good defender and is versatile, having logged reps at second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots. The bulk of his playing time has come in the infield, though.

That said ... his bat is as subpar as it gets. Over the last two years (234 games) with the A's, Schuemann has hit .212 with a .603 OPS and 75 OPS+. We know every acquisition isn't and shouldn't be about offense, so we can turn a blind eye to that for the sake of his defensive versatility in the event the Yankees suffer a rash of injuries (don't put it past them). Plus, Schuemann is a righty hitter, something the Yankees badly need.

There's also the possibility they enjoy the famous win-win and get to keep Fernandez if he clears waivers. It's possible, considering he fell all the way to the Yanks to begin with.

Yankees make bizarre trade with Athletics to knock former top-100 prospect off roster

But the Yankees already have a lot of infield versatility. Jose Caballero, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jazz Chisholm can play multiple positions effectively, and they're all on the active roster as of now. If the Yankees need anything, it's a Caleb Durbin-type — a versatile defender who makes contact, doesn't strike out, and gets on base.

Schuemann doesn't do any of that (though he did cut back on his strikeouts last year) as he got squeezed out of the A's roster picture as younger (and better) options were given more playing time. At this rate, however, we can't really view any move the Yankees make that isn't for the active roster, because the DFA carousel has been aggressive whenever they make these minor transactions.

As per the Cabrera conversation, however, this could be a way for the Yankees to trade the lively switch-hitter or create more competition for him during spring training so he can prove he can hit from the right side of the plate. At this moment, the Yankees' bench is Amed Rosario, Paul Goldschmidt, JC Escarra (or another backup catcher) and one of Jasson Dominguez/Cabrera. One of the latter two will start the year at Triple-A. Reports have suggested it'll be Dominguez, but fans are failing to see the point of that. He no longer needs everyday reps against inferior talent. He needs to latch on at the MLB level. Could this be a way for the Yankees to better clear a path for Dominguez to keep his active roster spot without creating more of a controversy with Cabrera, who certainly deserves a role off the bench given his player profile, experience and abilities?

At some point, another roster crunch is coming and there will be a headline-grabbing decision that alters the dynamic in some capacity, whether it involves Dominguez or Cabrera.

Still, though, this doesn't feel awfully constructive for what the Yankees need both at the MLB level and at Triple-A. Maybe they're just trying to evoke some Derek Jeter vibes? Schuemann is from Kalamazoo, Michigan, which is where Jeter attended high school.