Four Mock Trades To Give the New York Yankees the Perfect Deadline

The Yankees have issues. Even though they’re one of six teams to reach the 60-win threshold by this point, this is by no means a perfect team.

We can all agree on that, but where I diverge from the majority is where the issues actually lie. There’s a near-cultish energy around the shortstop position; the loudest voices in the room want Anthony Volpe banished to a different dimension, yearning for literally anyone else to take over.

Volpe has played 51 games and posted a 1.2 fWAR. If he played at this level for the full season, he’d sit at a 2.3 fWAR, the 10th-best mark among all shortstops, better than players like Zach Neto, Gunnar Henderson, and Colson Montgomery. He’s a good baserunner, an excellent fielder, and he sits just 4% below league-average offense.

I don’t mean for this to turn into a Volpe rant; it’s just an explainer of where my head’s at as I try to bring the Yankees their 28th championship. Volpe is not the problem.

That said, the left side of the infield is a problem. Ryan McMahon’s defense isn’t even good enough to make him the strong side of a platoon. His -2 DRS is below average, and his 2 OAA ranks 14th among qualified third basemen. He’s striking out 31% of the time, slugging .373, and overall he’s 20% worse than a league-average hitter. Third base HAS to be addressed.

Catcher is certainly an issue, but I’m not playing fantasy baseball. Cashman has said he’s hesitant to fully move on from Wells due to his well-above-average defense, which is frustrating as a fan but understandable from their perspective.

Wells clearly has an impact on the Yankees’ pitchers, and if the staff likes him, I don’t want to mess with a group that ranks No. 1 in ERA; yep, that’s right, the Yankees’ 3.41 staff ERA is the best in baseball. They still need to add a right-handed-hitting catcher, but completely removing Wells isn’t the move I’d make, even though he’s 45% worse than a league-average hitter per wRC+.

Arguably the biggest problem I see with the Yankees is the outfield. Cody Bellinger just hit the IL and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with a hamstring strain. Even if he comes back sooner, it’s hard to ignore that Bellinger has hit just .240 with three home runs and a 91 wRC+ in 41 games since Judge went on the IL on June 5.

Speaking of Judge, he’s currently on the 60-day IL and has yet to be cleared for baseball activities. The hope is he returns by September, but in the meantime, the Yankees are running out an outfield featuring Trent Grisham, Jasson Domínguez, and Spencer Jones. The best OPS among the three of them is Grisham’s .706 mark, and what’s equally worrisome is that it’s also a below-average defensive outfield.

In summary, the Yankees’ biggest needs are outfielder and third base. After that, it’s a right-handed-hitting catcher. Fourth would be a high-leverage reliever, even though the bullpen overall has been rock-solid. Pitchers like Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick have had wonderful seasons, but come October, I need at least one big name I can trust.

We’ve identified the problems; now let’s solve them.

Trade Idea Number 1

• Yankees Receive: 3B Isaac Paredes
• Astros Receive: LHP Ryan Weathers, 3B Ryan McMahon (Yankees eat most of his contract)

A straightforward swap with a twist that helps both teams. Isaac Paredes is the superior player, but Weathers is a lot cheaper, a year younger, and comes with an extra year of control.

The Astros’ starting rotation ranks 28th in ERA, and they don’t have a single left-handed starter. Weathers has thrown over 100 innings this season with a 26.8% strikeout rate; both marks would lead the Astros’ rotation among starters with at least 50 innings pitched. He’d immediately address their most pressing need, and Paredes would address one of the more glaring issues on the Yankees.

Paredes is grading out as an equal defender to McMahon this year, and he brings a right-handed bat that should fit well in Yankee Stadium.

He’s been largely consistent at the plate, posting a 119 wRC+ for his career with a .768 OPS, close to his numbers this season. He’s a 20-home-run threat, striking out just 15% of the time. He’s only logged four playoff games, but he’s hitting .455 in them. He can also play some second base, so against lefties, the Yankees could play both him and Rosario in the infield; Jazz Chisholm is 24% below league average against southpaws.

Ryan McMahon is a radioactive asset. For any team to even consider adding him, the Yankees would need to eat a majority of his remaining deal. He’s owed about $5M more this year and $16M next year.

For Houston to consider this, the Yankees would need to eat about $12-$13M of it, maybe more. If Cashman can swallow his pride and do it, it would address the Yankees’ third base need and give Houston a left-handed bat, which they actually need; Yordan Alvarez is the only left-handed-hitting regular in the lineup. Ryan McMahon for $8-9M over 1.5 years is a lot more palatable.

Trade Idea Number 2

• Yankees Receive: OF Lars Nootbaar, RHP Riley O’Brien
• Cardinals Receive: RHP Elmer Rodriguez

The Cardinals are not rebuilding, but a retool makes a lot of sense for them. Rodriguez has already debuted, and coming into this season, he was ranked as the 93rd-best prospect in baseball on our Top 100 prospect list.

His cup of coffee in the majors didn’t go as planned, but at the end of the day, he won’t turn 23 until after the trade deadline. It’s a solid five-pitch mix, but he needs to work on his command of those pitches. The Cardinals need young, controllable pitching, and he just so happens to be a top-100 prospect. This is an excellent addition for the Cardinals, and he could even help them right now.

Lars Nootbaar fills a role the Yankees need, and he fits it beautifully. Nootbaar is an above-average defender in left field who’s also logged time in center and right, so he can play all three outfield spots.

His surface-level stats at the plate don’t look all that appealing. He’s been injured this year, limiting him to just 160 plate appearances. His .716 OPS and 102 wRC+ are around league average, and he only has three home runs.

However, he’s 28 years old, has 1.5 years of control, and his .344 xwOBA implies better days are ahead. He also has an excellent eye at the plate, walking north of 13% of the time while only striking out 21.9% of the time.

Beyond the xwOBA, he’s making contact inside the zone 89% of the time with a 51% hard-hit rate. I want that profile in the lineup, even if it’s only against right-handed pitching. I believe his best days are still ahead, and right now he’s already 18% above league average against righties — that number should climb even higher, giving the Yankees a well-above-average answer in the outfield.

His issue is that he’s injury-prone and owed $8M next year. He’s not a great asset in a vacuum, but he fills a need for the Yankees.

Riley O’Brien is pretty straightforward. Even though he has 26 saves, the Yankees wouldn’t be bringing him in to close; he’d likely be deployed in any high-leverage moment the Yankees need him. He comes with years of control, but he’s 31, and models don’t like 31-year-old relievers.

He gets groundballs at an elite clip with his 98 mph sinker, and he’s pitched to a 3.67 ERA/3.50 FIP this year. O’Brien is also especially lethal against right-handed bats, who’ve posted a minuscule .288 SLG with a .598 OPS.

The Cardinals might need an additional flier to make this trade work, but the bones are there for Cashman to cook.

Trade Idea Number 3

• Yankees Receive: Carson Kelly
• Cubs Receive: RHP Camilo Doval, RHP Brendon Beck

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I would prefer to have Ryan Jeffers. Who wouldn’t? He’s having the better overall season, and his .937 OPS against left-handed pitching is the third-best mark among all catchers (min. 50 PA vs. LHP).

However, there are a few reasons why I don’t think they land him. Number one: I’m not sold on the Twins being sellers. If the Astros, Mariners, and Orioles are going to buy, why wouldn’t the Twins? They have a better record than all of those teams, and they’re just a game out of the final Wild Card spot and just three games back of the division.

Let’s say they do sell; the Yankees would likely get outbid. If they are selling, my guess is they’re looking for prospects. With how desperate the Yankees are for Jeffers, which has been widely reported ad nauseam, my guess is the Twins front office would hold Cashman’s feet to the fire and force him to overpay. That’s not what Cashman does, and this is a very solid pivot that helps both teams.

Carson Kelly’s .976 OPS against left-handed pitching ranks second among catchers. He’s a veteran with a mutual option at the end of the season for $7.5M. The Cubs are clearly not selling, but they could net two Yankees pitchers, and they already have Miguel Amaya, who’s younger, cheaper, and putting up a season nearly identical to Kelly’s.

Doval has been a rollercoaster on the Yankees, but there’s no debate about the level of stuff he has. He could simply be a pitcher who bounces back when he leaves New York, or he’s broken. I would take that risk if I were the Cubs, or they could simply lean on his 3.54 xERA and 3.76 xFIP.

Beck was dominant in Triple-A but struggled once he got called up. He’s a 27-year-old who can start right now or be a long reliever in the bullpen. He fits a need for the Cubs, who need pitching depth, and all they have to give up is one of their two catchers, who’s likely a free agent after the season anyway.

Trade Idea Number 4

• Yankees Receive: LHP Adrian Morejon
• Padres Receive: RHP Ben Hess, OF Spencer Jones

I want Mason Miller more than probably any Yankee fan on the planet. I’d give up a top-10 prospect in the system just so I could watch him walk out to “Blind” by Korn and throw one inning in pinstripes. He would be the best reliever the Yankees have had since Mariano Rivera.

When I originally pitched a trade that involved Lagrange and Lombard for him, my fellow Yankee fans freaked out. Here’s the thing: that probably doesn’t even get it done. The Padres don’t look like true sellers, so any trade involving Miller would have to be an overpay, and what I offered is likely in the “fair” range. Let’s pivot to the Padres’ second-best reliever, who’s a free agent at the end of the season.

Morejon is a left-handed missile throwing 99 mph bowling balls with a 2.47 FIP. He’s up there for the best left-handed reliever in baseball. I personally think he’s better than David Bednar, but who cares; you’d have both.

Ben Hess is an excellent pitching prospect who excelled in Double-A last year and is doing the same thing again this year. He was a first-round pick in 2024, and he’s done everything you would want from a pitching prospect. He’s likely to debut in 2027, so he’s not far out from helping the Padres’ rotation.

Spencer Jones is a wild card. He’s got stupid power and the ability to play at all three outfield spots, but the swing-and-miss concerns are getting out of control. However, he’s young and cheap, another former first-round pick, and he posted a 142 wRC+ in Triple-A this year. He’s not the main piece of the deal, but a fine complement who is certainly better than Jace Bowen.