MLB trade rumors: One deal each team should make
By Brad Weiss
Pittsburgh Pirates: Trade David Freese to the New York Yankees
The Pittsburgh Pirates got rid of some of their marquee players this past offseason, as guys like Andrew McCutchen left the team. Despite that, the Pirates find themselves in first place in the NL Central as of April 21, and have been much better than advertised.
One player really helping them has been David Freese, who is a former World Series MVP. Freese’s stock has never been higher, and the Pirates may want to dip into the trade market to see if there is a viable match.
The New York Yankees have been struggling a bit out of the gate, as players like Neil Walker, Giancarlo Stanton, and Brandon Drury have not produced. In fact, Miguel Andujar was called up from the minors to take the place of the injured Drury, and has been terrific.
At third base, the Yankees need some veteran leadership, and Freese has that championship caliber this organization needs. Freese could also be used all over the diamond, giving the Yankees another bat to rotate into their lineup.
The Pirates may not be in this race for the long haul, and if the organization sees it that way, moving the veteran Freese for one or two of the Yankees prospects may be the way to go, as even the Yankees lower tier prospects are better than most teams have on the high tier.