Possible Yankees’ trade targets
The Yankees’
offseason is off to a great start. The club’s main focus all along was to add
Gerrit Cole, finally giving New York the true, dominant Ace, they have needed. In the days following, the team was able to retain veteran outfielder Brett Gardner. Now, the
Yankees could look to the trade market to round out their roster and get set
for 2020. Let’s take a look at who could be available and how they could fit in
pinstripes.
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| Photo Credit: CBS Sports |
Josh Hader - If New
York is unable to bring Dellin Betances back in 2020, they could look to fill
his spot with a trade. The 25-year old lefty Hader saved 37 games while posting
a 2.62 ERA in 75.2 innings last season. He also struck out 16.4 hitters per
nine innings. The biggest problem with Hader is his cost to acquire. He has
four more years of club control before becoming a free agent in 2024 and is
considered a top-five reliever in baseball. Although this trade will hurt in
terms of prospects, it would further deepen perhaps the best bullpen in baseball already.
Proposal: Deivi
Garcia, Clint Frazier, Thairo Estrada, Michael Yajure
Brad Hand - Similar
to Hader, Brad Hand could be someone the Yankees add to the bullpen along with
their other top relievers. Hand pitched to a 3.30 ERA last season with
Cleveland, striking out 13.2 per nine innings. He has the ability to be even
better than that, pitching to a 2.75 ERA in 2018. Hand likely would cost less
in terms of prospects compared to Hader, because he only has two years left
under contract, for a total of $17 million. The Indians have shown a
willingness to trade their top talent recently, moving Trevor Bauer in July and
Corey Kluber to Texas last week, so it is not crazy to think they will listen
to offers for Hand.
Proposal: Albert Abreu, Nick
Nelson
Kyle Schwarber - It
seems like the Yankees have interest in trading for Schwarber every offseason,
and it is easy to see why. Now, for probably the first time, it seems like the Cubs may
actually be interested in moving him. Schwarber's powerful lefty swing could be very
dangerous in Yankee Stadium, however, his fit on the roster would be a bit unclear. He could fill the powerful left-handed bat hole
and serve as an insurance policy if Stanton cannot stay healthy in 2020. If Stanton is able to stay on the field, however, Schwarber would be forced to DH primarily, or perhaps take some time at first base - something he has never done in his MLB career to date. In
2019, Schwarber slashed .250/.339./.531 while slugging 38 homers with a wRC+ of 120. Schwarber was better than advertised in left field last
season, improving to be a league average outfielder. Schwarber has two years of club control remaining before becoming a free
agent in 2022, but is projected to earn $8 million in arbitration this season.
Proposal: Estevan Florial, Albert
Abreu, Michael King |
| Photo Credit: Quinn Harris/Getty Images |
James McCann - The
Yankees may just go with Kyle Higashioka to replace Austin Romine as the backup
catcher, but if they choose to look elsewhere, James McCann could be an option. McCann would be a very high quality backup, considering he went to the All-Star
game last season, but that would be a good thing since Gary Sanchez has a history
of injuries and inconsistency. McCann slashed .273/.328/.460 last season. The
White Sox may be interested in moving him after signing Yasmani Grandal to a
four year, $73 million contract. Chicago also has Zack Collins - who is one of
their top prospects and reached the majors in 2019 - making McCann even more
expendable. McCann has one year remaining on his contract, worth $5,400,000,
which is probably more than the Yankees are looking to spend on a backup
catcher, so New York would have to receive some cash to make this deal work.
Proposal: Chance Adams, Kyle Holder
Proposal: Chance Adams, Kyle Holder
Article by: Mark Ciano
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