July 17th, 2023: Trade Deadline, Rizzo, Peraza, Higashioka, Torres

Clay Holmes and Nick Ramirez giving up their first home runs of the year, and Alan Trejo hitting his first home run of the year, all within the span of four innings, is a pretty good sign it’s just not your season. Here is Tuesday morning’s post Monday afternoon because the Yankees are in Anaheim and my days of waiting until West Coast night games end to finish posts are over. (Three West Coast trips in eight weeks? Get outta here schedule-makers.)

1. The Yankees should sell. I’ve seen enough. This team ain’t it and the Yankees should prioritize the future at the deadline. I advocated for a “soft sell” at the 2021 deadline, and not only did the Yankees not do that, they made trades that further harmed the franchise. They have stepped on landmine after landmine since then (Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo, Frankie Montas, etc.). Moves that meaningfully subtracted from the team’s championship odds.

"A true playoff contender, you know, not a playoff pretender, wouldn't do that,” Brian Cashman said at the 2016 deadline, after the Yankees got swept by the last place Rays and decided to sell. That also applies to losing two of three to a bad Rockies team this past weekend. Day after day the Yankees show everyone they aren’t good enough. The downward trend is too long to ignore at this point. I cite the last 12 months (and especially the last four) as evidence.

“Selling” in this case does not mean blowing it up and entering a rebuild, something that frankly isn’t even possible given the current roster and contract commitments. It would also be unwise to do that while Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge are in their prime. This team can contend next year (I think?), so focus on that instead hoping a 2023 team that is terrible at making its own luck can sneak into the postseason and get lucky.

So, what does a ‘soft sell” look like? There are four components:

• Trade rentals. Harrison Bader, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Wandy Peralta, Luis Severino, etc. If Iván Nova had trade value in 2016, Severino has trade value now. Get something for players who aren’t helping you win this year and won’t be around to help you win next year.
• Move “replaceable” players with control. For example, Gleyber Torres clearly isn’t part of the long-term plan and the Yankees can replace him from within with Oswald Peraza, so he should go. Ditto any and all relievers. Capitalize on a thin pitching trade market.
• Try to dump salary. DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, etc. Don’t give up prospects to do it, but if there’s a path to unloading part of these contracts, the declining veterans should go. (This is a long shot.)
• Do not buy rentals. More accurately, do not trade legit prospects for rentals. Taking on a rental as a pure salary dump is fine. Trading decent prospects for a band-aid is a no-go.

The only exception to the fourth bullet point is Shohei Ohtani, who I will need to see get traded at the deadline to believe it will happen. That guy is a franchise changer. It would be like trading for prime LeBron, so by all means, trade for that rental. Otherwise, the Yankees don’t need to repeat the Rizzo trade or the Andrew Heaney trade or the Andrew Benintendi trade. Keep the prospects, or trade them for players with multiple years of control. I'm totally cool with trading good prospects for long-term pieces. Just not rentals.

Unfortunately, along with selling – punting 2023 for the greater good – the Yankees should shut Judge down, send him for surgery, and/or do whatever needs to be done to get his toe healthy for next season. Coming back and playing through pain for this team is in no way worth it. If the doctors clear Judge and he’s 100% healthy and can play, then he should play. Otherwise nope.

I know the standings say the Yankees are only two games out of the third Wild Card spot, but the third Wild Card spot is the only reason this team is in the race. The Yankees are 2-6 in their last eight games and 83-79 in their last 162 games. The new postseason format makes the Yankees look better than they really are. I’m not falling for it. They’re pretenders. (Making pretenders look like contenders is a bug of this postseason format, not a feature.)

Of course, the problems run deeper than the players on the field. The “let’s make a TV analyst the manager” experiment has been a failure – after six years, it’s entirely fair to put the blame for the continued sloppy and undisciplined play* on Aaron Boone – and the front office is stale. A front office shouldn’t get a second chance at a (quasi-)rebuild unless the first yielded a championship, or at least a pennant.

* I couldn’t do anything but laugh when the Yankees made the final out of the ninth inning at third base and the first out of the tenth inning at third base Sunday. What a bunch of maroons.

I have zero faith in front office changes being made, and, even if they are, I have zero faith in Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine conducting a thorough and proper GM search. They’ll hire the first person who tells them they’ll cut $100M off payroll and still win 90 games. Hal should never live down three things:

• Needing Judge to tell him the roster needs upgrades over the winter.
• Saying “we’re not done” after signing Carlos Rodón and then doing nothing.
• Saying he is confused why fans are upset last month.

An owner could not be more out of touch. The other four AL East teams are on the rise and the Yankees prioritized luxury tax plans and trying to look smart took over putting the pedal to the floor while the Rays were regrouping and the Orioles were a punchline. The window to do that is now closed. They deserve this for their arrogance, for acting like they’ll contend forever because they’re the Yankees.

The Yankees are where they are because they’ve made far too many missteps in recent years. Missteps on the trade market, in free agency, in the draft and player development, everywhere. Putting band-aids on this roster would be another misstep. The bones of a 2024 contender are in place and improving that team should be the goal at the deadline. I’m out on the 2023 Yankees. They’ve revealed themselves to be not good enough at being good enough.

2. Weekend thoughts. Poor Sean Casey. He had a chance to come out of his first weekend as a hitting coach looking like a genius – three games in Coors Field against starters with a 6+ ERA! – and the players let him down. Casey said he will use the rest of the season to evaluate how he feels about coaching long-term and this team is gonna scare him right out of the business. Anyway, here are a few thoughts on the first weekend out of the All-Star break now that the Yankees are in last place.

The Rizzo problem

Anthony Rizzo’s lack of production is becoming a major problem. He certainly isn’t the only veteran struggling, but he is the lone lefty bat of note on the roster, and his lack of production creates different problems than everyone else’s lack of production. Rizzo last hit a home run on May 20th in Cincinnati. Here are the before and after numbers:

How am I supposed to look at that sudden and significant in-season decline in hard-hit ability and not think Rizzo is hurt? His slump predates the collision with Fernando Tatis Jr., though maybe his neck is still bothering him, or maybe his back is acting up and he’s getting treatment and playing through it because Aaron Judge is hurt and the Yankees need everyone else to step up. This isn’t a “he’s still hitting the ball hard” slump though. He’s not hitting the ball hard anymore.

If Rizzo were still punching singles and drawing walks, okay fine, the lack of dingers would stink but at least he’d be contributing something. Instead, Rizzo is 7-for-44 (.159) in July, and that lazy fly out with the bases loaded in the third inning Sunday was such a letdown. He fouled away two center cut Chase Anderson (!) fastballs and it’s just like, come on man.

Rizzo is behind on every fastball and, if he is gutting through something and playing hurt, he’s not helping the team. It’s admirable but it’s not helping, and he should go on the injured list. And, if this is fully healthy Rizzo, then that’s another, much bigger problem. This is not a two-week blip. We’re going on two full months of poor production and diminished contact quality.

“I feel like right when he came back from the neck, he had two weeks where he really struggled, where he wasn’t swinging very good,” Aaron Boone told Greg Joyce over the weekend. “I do feel like the last three weeks or so, he’s been better, where he’s getting his hits a little bit, he’s getting on base a little bit.  But it’s not easy to hit the ball out of the ballpark or hit for power.”

(Not-so-fun fact: The Yankees have not gotten a home run from a lefty hitter since Jake Bauers in the first game of the doubleheader in St. Louis on July 1st. As a team, they have one lefty homer in their last 17 games and 654 plate appearances.)

Donaldson to the IL

Josh Donaldson’s .142/.225/.434 (75 wRC+) line is apparently so valuable that the Yankees started him at DH four straight games (negating his defense, the only thing he does well) and let him play through a nagging calf issue. That nagging issue is now a full blown injured list stint. I won’t celebrate an injury, that’s a dick move and bad karma, but the Yankees are (probably) better off now.

“I know it wasn’t great in the moment,” Boone told Joyce about the severity of the injury after Donaldson exited Saturday’s game.

The results of Donaldson’s MRI were not yet available following Sunday’s game. No matter, he should not play another game for the Yankees. Donaldson has a history of calf injuries and they tend to sideline him weeks, not days. A 37-year-old hitting .142 should not have a role with this team or any team. I don't think that's a controversial statement. It’s common sense.

Oswald Peraza was called up to replace Donaldson and, if Boone is to be believed, he will actually play this time. “The biggest thing with bringing up Peraza is you want to feel like he’s going to play. There should be plenty of playing time for him,” Boone told Chris Kirschner over the weekend. I agree, I “want to feel like he’s going to play,” but who knows at this point.

Earlier this season Peraza spent 17 games on the MLB roster and started 10 of them, including five at third base. He’s played only two – two! – games at third base in Triple-A. The Yankees have not prepared Peraza to play third, but that’s where the opening is with the big league team, and that’s where I imagine he’ll play. As long as he plays, whatever. Just get him in the lineup.

Peraza joins the Yankees in a prolonged slump – .172/.310/.323 (62 wRC+) in 113 Triple-A plate appearances since June 1st –  but his overall season numbers are very good, and he’s reached the point where he needs to face big league competition to continue his development. He covers nearly the entire plate and must now learn to hit or lay off pitches down. That’s the next step.

Part of the “soft sell” approach I want the Yankees to take is playing young players who deserve to play and have a chance to play a role in the future, even if that role is fourth outfielder or middle reliever. If Harrison Bader gets traded, then stick Estevan Florial in center field. Don’t waste time with Billy McKinney or Greg Allen. That kinda thing. Playing Peraza the rest of the way has to happen. It should’ve happened last September. It has to happen now. There’s no reason to wait anymore.

Peraza made a dumb mistake on the bases Sunday (will the coaching staff help him avoid such mistakes in the future? lol) but dumb mistakes come with the territory with young players. I want him in the lineup every single game the rest of the season. The failing veterans are not the answer and Donaldson will not be missed. It’s time to see what Peraza can do and can be.

Higgy the starter

Sure seems like Kyle Higashioka is the starting catcher, no? He started the first two games out of the All-Star break (three in a row overall), including catching Clarke Schmidt on Saturday for the first time since May 31st. Jose Trevino was behind the plate for Schmidt’s previous six starts. Higashioka has started six of the last 10 games, and 11 of the last 20 games.

“Higgy’s been swinging the bat pretty well for an extended period now,” Boone told Joyce over the weekend. “They both are so good behind the plate. But I do like the way Higgy’s been swinging the bat. He’s been one of those guys that I feel like has hit a lot of balls hard for outs. He hasn’t had a lot of good luck on his side, but has still been getting some decent results.”

Since the cherry-picked date of May 28th, Higashioka’s hitting .290/.301/.449 (102 wRC+) in 74 plate appearances and Trevino is hitting .207/.258/.293 (54 wRC+) in 63 plate appearances. Higashioka also has the edge in overall season numbers (77 wRC+ vs. 61 wRC+). Trevino rates as the better defender, but only slightly, and this team desperately needs offense.

Ultimately, the Yankees do not have a starting catcher. They have two glove-first backups and you can swing that when the rest of the lineup pulls its weight, which it has not this season. History tells us when Higashioka’s playing time increases, he gets exposed and his production slips. Until that happens, might as well keep playing him. What other choice do the Yankees have? (Kinda weird calling up Ben Rortvedt doesn’t even seem to be a consideration.)

Miscellany

Not a good start for Carlos Rodón on Friday (5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB 6 K, 1 HR), though at least he missed bats (28% whiffs). We’ve been waiting for this guy all year and we want him to dominate right now, so it’s frustrating, but I don’t want to make too much of it. It was his second start off the injured list and it was in Coors Field. That said, a great outing next time would be appreciated … Another really good start for Schmidt, who threw a pitch in the seventh inning (as a starter) for the first time in his career. He said he noticed Rodón wasn’t getting the usual break on his slider up in the mountains, and used that to make an adjustment. From Joyce:

“There were a little bit of adjustments as far as where I wanted to start my pitches and set my sights,” Schmidt said. “The breaking balls aren’t as big here and your fastballs don’t move as much. Everything’s just a little bit shorter, so I wanted to make a little more emphasis on trying to pitch to the corners and get to the edges a little more tonight. Thankfully we were able to do that.”

Schmidt has really turned his season around. Good for him. He’s one of the few players on the roster I feel better about today than I did on Opening Day … Further evidence this team isn’t gonna win anything: Franchy Cordero struck out on two pitches and McKinney swung at a pitch that hit him in the thigh Friday night. No hitting coach is fixing that. The Yankees are missing one regular position player and this is what the roster becomes … And finally, Oswaldo Cabrera quietly had one of his best games of the season Sunday, going 2-for-3 with two walks. He saw 33 pitches in five trips to the plate, had a 10-pitch walk in the fifth inning, and went from a 1-2 count to a walk in the sixth inning. Maybe he’ll build on it. Maybe he won’t. Just wanted to give Oswaldo props for a good game in a season that hasn’t had many of them.

3. Scouting the Trade Market: Gleyber Torres suitors. The trade deadline is only two weeks and one day away and we’re going to spend these next two weeks talking a lot about who the Yankees can add. We should also talk about who they might subtract, partly because they stink and are in last place, and partly because this trade season will require creativity. Consider:

• There are only a few clear-cut sellers, and those sellers (Athletics, Rockies, Royals, Nationals, etc.) don’t have much to sell right now.
• 16 of the 30 teams came into Monday no more than six games out of a postseason spot. A lot of clubs are on the buy/sell fence.
• Few teams are willing to add money at the trade deadline. A lot of deals must be payroll neutral, or require eating money.

We may see more MLB player for MLB player trades this summer rather than the standard MLB player for prospects trades. Think Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader (or Jake Odorizzi for Will Smith). Neither team buys nor sells. They address roster needs by trading from another part of their roster where they have more depth. Old school baseball trades. I like ‘em.

The Yankees discussed a Gleyber Torres/Oswald Peraza for Pablo López/Miguel Rojas trade at the deadline last year and, I gotta say, I would have been more in favor of that at the time had I known the Yankees would bury Peraza in Triple-A for another season. Why do I bother following prospects when this team is so bad at turning them into contributing big leaguers?

ANYWAY, the Yankees have few tradeable MLB position players, realistically. Anthony Volpe isn’t going anywhere. They’re not changing things up at catcher. They need outfielders and are thus unlikely to trade away Bader. That leaves Torres, who will be a free agent after next season and is not part of the long-term plan. We know this because Hal Steinbrenner said so in no uncertain terms.

“I remember standing right here a year ago and we were talking about (Carlos) Correa,” Hal told Randy Miller in March. “I talked about Peraza and I talked about Volpe. I said, ‘Look, as far as I’m concerned, they’re going to be the middle of our infield for many years to come if all goes well,’ and they both had great years in the minor leagues. We’re getting closer.”

There’s a scenario in which the Yankees trade Gleyber for help elsewhere on the roster, then go with a Peraza/Volpe middle infield. Or a DJ LeMahieu/Volpe middle infield to drive us all crazy. I dunno. There’s definitely a scenario in which Torres is in his final two weeks as a Yankee and is playing elsewhere on Aug. 2nd. He’s their most likely to go position player. Easily, I think.

Where could Torres land? And what could the Yankees get in return? The former is much easier to answer than the latter, but I’m going to try to answer both. Here are seven potential partners for a Gleyber trade at the deadline.

Chicago White Sox

2B stats: .188/.242/.281 (42 wRC+) and -0.3 WAR

Why would they want Torres? Their second basemen (mostly Elvis Andrus and more recently 29-year-old rookie Zach Remillard) are horrible, and they’re talking about trading rentals and trying to contend next year rather than a complete rebuild. The AL Central is so bad that that’s not a terrible idea. Reload at the deadline, have a good offseason, contend next year. Why not? Torres is under control in 2024 and fits the “contend in a bad division next year” timeline.

What do they have to offer? Would the Yankees trade Gleyber for a rental? Would they do something like Torres for Lucas Giolito? Chicago may prefer prospects or younger players with control beyond 2024. Giolito will be arguably the best starter available at the deadline. There will be a bidding war. That said, the White Sox are confounding, so who knows.

Hard-throwing lefty Garrett Crochet is in the Yankees’ wheelhouse, though he is currently on the injured list with a shoulder problem (making him their ideal target nyuck nyuck nyuck). I’m sure there’s a combination of prospects that would satisfy the Yankees, though I’m looking more at trades that will impact the MLB roster right away, not a true seller’s trade. Not much here, really.

Los Angeles Angels

2B stats: .245/.309/.393 (92 wRC+) and +1.5 WAR

Why would they want Torres? The Angels have made multiple trades (Eduardo Escobar, Mike Moustakas) and called up multiple top prospects (Sam Bachman, Ben Joyce, Zach Neto) these last few weeks in hopes of reaching the postseason. You needn’t try hard to see them hanging around the race, keeping Shohei Ohtani, and looking to further reinforce the roster.

The Halos currently have three infielders on the injured list (Brandon Drury, Anthony Rendon, Gio Urshela) and every night at least one of Luis Rengifo, Michael Stefanic, or Andrew Velazquez is in the lineup, and many nights two of the three start. Gleyber puts an end to the revolving door at second base and helps them next year too. A straightforward fit.

What do they have to offer? Jo Adell, swing-and-miss prone righty with poor defense, is the exact opposite of what the Yankees need. He’s out with an oblique strain now anyway. Mickey Moniak? The No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft is having success (.326/.358/.632 and 169 wRC+) as a lefty who sells out for power and tries to yank everything to right field. The underlying numbers (31.1% strikeouts, 2.6% walks, 48.4% chases (!), .425 BABIP) are not encouraging.

I wonder about Matt Thaiss. The 2016 first rounder is finally showing something against big league pitching (.254/.367/.373 and 110 wRC+) and his defense behind the plate has improved from terrible to adequate. A lefty hitting catcher with some offensive ability would be welcome. Maybe there’s a Torres/Thaiss framework that involves other pieces, including Kyle Higashioka or Jose Trevino going the other way (since the Angels would need a replacement catcher)?

Los Angeles Dodgers

2B stats: .243/.348/.453 (119 wRC+) and +0.1 WAR (woof, defense)

Why would they want Torres? Top prospect Miguel Vargas began the season at second base and he played well early on, then he slipped in a bad slump and the Dodgers sent him to Triple-A last weekend. A struggling top prospect going back to Triple-A for a reset? Surely there’s nothing the Yankees could learn from the Dodgers about player development.

Anyway, the Dodgers have played Mookie Betts at second out of necessity, which forces at least one of Jason Heyward or David Peralta into the lineup against lefties. That’s not great. Los Angeles has a ton of roster flexibility and they could roll with something like this:

• vs. RHP: Torres at 2B, Mookie at SS, Heyward in RF
• vs. LHB: Torres at 2B, Miguel Rojas at SS, Mookie in RF

That’s not some crazy scenario I cooked up. Betts has played 16 games at short this year. It’s a thing that is happening. Next season the Dodgers can roll with Torres and a healthy Gavin Lux on the middle infield with Vargas back at third base, his natural position, and Max Muncy at DH (if they pick up his $10M club option). Point is, there’s an opening at second base and the Dodgers do need to improve the 6-7-8-9 portion of their lineup. Gleyber could be a fit.

What do they have to offer? Michael Busch would be a nice get. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is repeating Triple-A (.301/.423/.559 and 135 wRC+) and he’s a lefty with power who has played primarily first and second bases, with a little third and left mixed in. The Dodgers have called him up three times (once as the 27th man for a doubleheader) this year and didn’t play him much. Seems like he’s further down their depth chart than his former first round pick status would lead you to believe. The Yankees could plug Busch into their lineup tomorrow, if they were so inclined.

Miami Marlins

2B stats: .384/.435/.484 (154 wRC+) and +2.9 WAR

Why would they want Torres? Well, we know they wanted him last year, so that’s a start. The Marlins pivoted to Luis Arraez over the winter and that’s worked out wonderfully, though he’s a poor defender (-8 OAA) and they’re not getting much production at first base (91 wRC+). Miami could bring in Torres, slide Arraez to first (where he’s played a bunch in his career), and improve their offense (because Torres is a better hitter than their first basemen) and defense (because Torres is a better defender than Arraez). The Marlins are in the second Wild Card spot. A postseason spot is there for the taking and they might be aggressive at the deadline.

What do they have to offer? The lefty hitting Jesús Sánchez is very much a Yankees’ type. They seem to prioritize exit velocity over everything, and Sánchez hits the ball very hard. The downside is that exit velocity comes with a lot of swings and misses (26.4% strikeouts and 13.2% swinging strikes).

Sánchez is hitting .260/.317/.479 (117 wRC+) and is Miami’s regular cleanup hitter and right fielder. They’re gonna look to add to him at the deadline, not replace him, so this doesn’t seem realistic. The Marlins have a few MLB-ready-ish guys in Triple-A (infielder Jacob Amaya, outfielder Peyton Burdick, super utility guy Xavier Edwards) who are interesting in their own ways. I dunno.

I should note money could be a sticking point in any Torres to Miami trade. The Yankees could take back Matt Barnes’ contract to even things out (he’s done for the year following hip surgery), though that’s only $1.5M or so the rest of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers

2B stats: .224/.298/.307 (68 wRC+) and +0.2 WAR

Why would they want Torres? Their second basemen are terrible, they rank 26th among the 30 teams in runs scored per game, and they’re two games up in the NL Central. The Brewers are at a place on the win curve where every little upgrade significantly increases their division title odds, and going from their current second base situation to Torres is a huge upgrade. There may have to be some salary gymnastics, but it’s easy to see why Milwaukee could be interested.

What do they have to offer? The Brewers have a lot of young outfielders, at least in theory. In reality, there’s not much to offer in that department:

• Jackson Chourio: Arguably the best prospect in the minors (not getting traded).
• Sal Frelick: Hurt and weirdly awful in Triple-A (60 wRC+).
• Garrett Mitchell: Done for 2023 following shoulder surgery.
• Joey Weimer: Milwaukee’s everyday center fielder.

Perhaps the Brewers are willing to sell low on Frelick, though that would make me a bit nervous given his injury (torn thumb ligament) and poor year. What do they know that we don’t? Infielder Luis Urías has shown promise with the bat but has no real defensive home, and he’s part of the reason the Brewers need a second baseman. Urías has been so bad they sent him to Triple-A a few weeks ago, and he only has two years of control remaining. He’s not a long-term addition.

I’m not sure what the Brewers could send the Yankees to make this work – maybe it would have to be a three-team trade? – though you don’t have to try hard to see why they could have interest in Torres. He’s a big upgrade at a position of need in the middle of a division race, and they’d have him next year too.

San Francisco Giants

2B stats: .219/.273/.354 (71 wRC+) and +2.0 WAR (yay, defense)

Why would they want Torres? Old pal Thairo Estrada (given away by the Yankees because they valued Rougned Odor’s $0 luxury tax hit so much) was hit by a pitch from old pal Adam Ottavino (given away by the Yankees the same year because L.T.R.E.A.M.) earlier this month and broke his hand. He’s going to miss several more weeks and second base is a mess now.

Also, Brandon Crawford is almost certainly in his final season with the Giants, and they greatly value flexibility. Estrada has played all over with San Francisco and it would be very easy to get him and Torres into the lineup a) when Thairo returns from his injury this year, and b) next year. The Giants currently sit in the top Wild Card spot and need a lineup boost.

What do they have to offer? I am certain the Giants would prefer to trade prospects than big leaguers. They have a lot of outfielders though. Is there a Torres for Mike Yastrzemski framework that makes sense for both teams? Yastrzemski, a very good platoon lefty bat, has one more year of control than Gleyber, but he turns 33 next month, so how valuable is that extra year, really?

Seattle Mariners

2B stats: .192/.292/.280 (69 wRC+) and +0.4 WAR

Why would they want Torres? They wanted Torres over the winter. Instead, they traded for Kolten Wong, who’s hitting .161/.243/.214 (35 wRC+), so I assume they still have interest in Gleyber. The Mariners are five games out of a Wild Card spot and need offense, both this year and next. This one’s pretty straightforward. Their second base situation is awful.

What do they have to offer? Just like the offseason, the Mariners don’t have much to offer the Yankees unless they’re willing to discuss their young pitching, and I assume the answer is no. Seattle is built around their young arms. Gleyber is a great fit for the Mariners and the Mariners don’t have much that fits the Yankees. Bit of a conundrum, this one.

* * *

To me, the Brewers are the most logical trade partner for Torres, followed by the Dodgers and Mariners, then maybe the Giants and Marlins. Which of course means he’ll be traded to the Red Sox or Blue Jays. The Yankees have few avenues to shake up their roster at the deadline (not that I expect it to happen anyway). Trading Gleyber is really the only way they can move a position player, get value back, and clear a spot for a kid. I wouldn’t say it’s likely, but it’s definitely not impossible.

4. Mining the news. I wrote a thing Friday afternoon about the latest Shohei Ohtani chatter and it seems kinda dumb to post it now, after this past weekend. I stuck it in the Content Graveyard, if you’re still interested. Here now are a few miscellaneous nuggets, trade deadline-related and otherwise.

Yankees had interest in McCormick

At some point previously – earlier this year? last year? before that? – the Yankees had interest in Astros outfielder Chas McCormick, reports Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d). McCormick is having a really good season (.280/.365/.522 and 146 wRC+) though it wasn’t until late last month that he became an every single game player. Dusty Baker used him as more of a fourth outfielder early on.

McCormick is a right-handed hitter who strikes out a lot (26.4% strikeouts and 13.1% swinging strikes), which is not what the Yankees need, but he’s a very good defender and his power plays best to right field. Here are McCormick’s fly balls and line drives since last Opening Day. This is right-handed hitter who would enjoy Yankee Stadium:

The Astros really aren’t in position to trade an outfielder – Michael Brantley has had to hit pause on his shoulder surgery rehab several times and there is no timetable for his return – though they really need a starter. Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are done for the year, Cristian Javier has not been himself, and Framber Valdez left his last start with a calf injury.

McCormick, 28, has 3.5 years of control remaining. Is there a McCormick for Clarke Schmidt trade to be made? Schmidt has 4.5 years of control, though the extra year is balanced out by the injury risk, and he’s the kind of spin rate monster the Astros typically target. McCormick’s glove is good enough that he can play left this year and replace Harrison Bader in center next year.

Schmidt’s been quite good lately, but you have to give to get, and the Yankees could turn around and trade for a replacement starter (since the odds they actually sell are tiny). Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito, whoever. The Astros could do that themselves and keep McCormick, but maybe Schmidt’s long-term control appeals to them. I dunno. I’m just trying to connect the dots given each team’s needs.

Grichuk is a thing, apparently

The Yankees are closely monitoring the outfield market (duh) and Randal Grichuk is on their radar, so says Mark Feinsand. Grichuk is hitting .300/.364/.473 (112 wRC+) this year and hoo boy, that is nowhere near his true talent level. The soon-to-be 32-year-old hit .247/.289/.441 (90 wRC+) in just under 2,000 plate appearances from 2019-22. That’s the guy you should expect the rest of the year.

I am against trading prospects for rentals this deadline and the only way Grichuk makes sense is eating the rest of his salary (about $3M) and giving up nothing in return. If the Rockies insist on an actual prospect, thanks but no thanks. Grichuk is certainly better than what the Yankees currently have in left field. I’m just out on this team trading prospects for rentals, especially low impact ones like Grichuk.

Yankees getting calls about Arias

According to Andy Martino, clubs are targeting shortstop prospect Roderick Arias in trade talks with the Yankees. The Yankees gave the 18-year-old a $4M bonus as their top international signing last January, and he’s having a strong season in the rookie Florida Complex League. Part of me thinks this is the Yankees trying to move teams off other prospects and onto Arias, but who really knows.

Rod-A doesn’t quite fit the trend because he was a high profile signing, but pre-breakout rookie ball kids are a popular trade target these days. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the best example and the Yankees did this with Luis Gil. He was in the Dominican Summer League when they got him from the Twins for Jake Cave back in the day. Interest in Arias isn’t too surprising.

The best case scenario is what, Arias reaches the big leagues in two years? Figure 2024 at Low-A and High-A with a Double-A cameo, then 2025 at Double-A and Triple-A with a September call up? Then Arias is on the 2026 Opening Day roster, when Gerrit Cole will be 35 and Aaron Judge will be 34, and likely at the tail end of their prime if not out of it completely.

More realistically, Arias is 4-5 years away from making the big leagues. You always have to keep the future in mind, no doubt about it, but the Yankees shouldn’t let a rookie ball kid stand in the way of making moves at the deadline. Don’t give Arias away, of course. Get proper value in return. Just don’t make him (or anyone, really) off-limits. I am pro-trading rookie ballers.

Cardinals possibly have interest in Beeter

Derrick Goold, a longtime and plugged-in Cardinals reporter, heard Clayton Beeter could be on St. Louis’ radar. Goold says a source “described him as a fit,” and I take that to mean the Cardinals have legit interest. They are known to be seeking young starters with velocity who can miss bats, because their rotation has none of that:

• Average fastball velocity: 93.0 mph (25th in MLB)
• Strikeout rate: 18.5% (28th in MLB)
• Swinging strike rate: 8.5% (29th in MLB)

Beeter has been so-so in three Triple-A starts and the pitch data is surprisingly meh given the scouting reports. It’s not bad, but Beeter was billed as a spin rate monster, and that guy hasn’t shown up in Scranton yet. He has to go on the 40-man roster after the season and the Yankees have a history of trading their Futures Gamers. Smoke, fire, etc. etc.

I answered a mailbag question about possible Cardinals trade targets a few weeks ago, so I will refer you to that rather than repeat everything. Lars Nootbaar would be the big prize, though there is no indication St. Louis will move him. Jordan Hicks? Jack Flaherty? Tyler O’Neill? They would all fill a need without moving the needle as much as the Yankees need it moved.

Beeter is neither a must keep nor a must move to me. If the Yankees keep him, cool. If they trade him, that’s cool too. And, if the Yankees do trade Beeter, I hope they get a better return for him than they did Ken Waldichuk and Hayden Wesneski last deadline. You can only trade so many Triple-A pitching prospects for duds before it bites you.

Yankees sign Lamb

Over the weekend the Yankees signed journeyman corner bat Jake Lamb to a minor league deal. He is 3-for-11 with two doubles in three games with Triple-A Scranton. Lamb spent a little time with the Angels earlier this year and, since his 30-homer season with the Diamondbacks in 2017, he’s hit .205/.306/.359 (82 wRC+) in 898 big league plate appearances, including .206/.306/.360 (83 wRC+) against righties. Yuck.

The Yankees are in perpetual need of lefty bats, particularly with Jake Bauers and Willie Calhoun on the injured list, so they might as well stash Lamb in Triple-A. If they call him up at some point, well, the offense is already pretty much doomed, so what difference will it make? Probably not a good sign when a power guy’s career goes in the tank as soon as the rocket ball arrives.

(In other Triple-A news, righty Matt Bowman has used his opt out clause, according to Feinsand. The Yankees have until I think Wednesday to release him, add him to the MLB roster, or trade him to a team that will put him on their roster. I wonder if the Yankees will add him as a fresh arm for Monday’s game given how much the bullpen was used over the weekend. Bowman had a 3.29 ERA (4.03 FIP) with a 59.6% ground ball rate in 38.1 innings with the RailRiders.)

Baseball America’s top 100 list

Baseball America (subs. req’d) released their updated top 100 prospects list late last week and it includes 2023 draftees, plus other movement. Monthly top 100 updates, which Baseball America began doing a few years ago, feels like overkill, but a midsummer post-draft update makes sense. More Yankees made the top 100 than I expected, and not in the order I expected either:

56. SS Oswald Peraza: “Peraza looks just about ready to play everyday in the majors”
60. RHP Chase Hampton: “Hampton is realistically a mid-rotation arm with No. 2 starter upside”
71. OF Jasson Domínguez: “Translating those traits into production has been a struggle”
86. C Austin Wells: “(He) projects to rack up doubles and homers”
96. OF Everson Pereira: “(Has a) chance to be in impact hitter if he can stay off the injured list”
98. OF Spencer Jones: “Jones is remarkably athletic for his size and has premium power”

The Yankees have done great things on the pitcher development side lately and turning Hampton into a mid-top 100 guy a year after picking him in the sixth round is pretty incredible. It’s not just Baseball America, either. Baseball Prospectus (subs. req’d) released their midseason top 50 last week and Hampton was “fairly” close to making it. He’s legit.

Spencer is the highest ranked Jones from his draft class. He’s one spot ahead of Diamondbacks OF Druw Jones, who was the No. 2 pick last year. And I still don’t get why Wells is in Double-A. I understand catchers develop at a slower pace than other position players, but he turned 24 last week! Nearly half his fellow 2020 first round-mates have reached the big leagues already, including two high school picks. Let’s get this show on the road, por favor.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)