The Yankees have a deep farm system that qualifies as one of the best in the Majors. The team could deal these three prospects for immediate help.
Brian Cashman has been very intentional about stocking the Yankees farm system with a wealth of young talent. The team has been very hesitant to include top prospects in trades over the last several seasons. Don’t expect Cashman to part with any of the team’s truly elite prospects this summer unless it’s in a move for a superstar.
Manny Machado is really the only player who projects to be available who qualifies as a true superstar. As such, this piece will discuss players who should be included in deals for other potential players. Machado is talented enough to justify dealing almost anyone in the system. Trading for anyone else will take several prospects off the table.
The good news for Yankee fans desperate for a World Series this season is that the organization has terrific prospect depth. Even if the team takes their top five prospects off the table, there are still more than a few prospects that other teams might find attractive.
In particular, Cashman and his front office have assembled a terrific group of pitching prospects. If you like tall pitchers with serious velocity, this is the farm system for you. Expect any Yankee deal that’s bringing Major League talent to the Bronx to include at least one young, talented hurler.
Without delay, let’s take a look at three prospects the Yankees should be willing to part with in advance of the trade deadline. You won’t find Justus Sheffield on this list, but you will find three players that could be viewed as potential above-average Major Leaguers by teams willing to part with veterans. New York likes each player in question, but they’d be willing to move them for immediate help.
3. Chance Adams
The talented right hander thought he had a chance to exit Spring Training with the big league club, but he ended up in AAA instead. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been as dominant as you’d like in his eight starts this season.
His stat line currently sits at an ugly 1-2 record with an ERA of 4.69. Those numbers aren’t going to get him in New York’s rotation as a starter. In fact, there’s an increasing belief in the Yankees organization that Adams’ future is going to lie in the bullpen.
If that assessment is true, it greatly lowers his ceiling as a potential major leaguer. ESPN scout Keith Law offers a particularly concerning assessment of Adams’ stuff by claiming he doesn’t have a true “out pitch.” To put it bluntly, his momentum as a prospect is starting to decrease at an alarming rate.
Things might be different if he were a 20-year-old just breaking onto the scene, but Adams will turn 24 in August. He likely has reached the vast majority of his full potential at this point in his career. That’s why the Yankees should be willing to sell on him while his stock is still relatively high.
2. Domingo Acevedo
It’s hard to watch Acevedo pitch and not think of Dellin Betances. Acevedo’s massive 6-foot-7 inch, 250 pound body is hard to miss. Unfortunately, Acevedo’s stuff doesn’t quite match up to the current Yankees reliever.
The intimidating righty is having good success this year in Trenton, but he should be. Pitchers that are already 24-years-old should be further along in the system. Ideally, he should already be contributing at the Major League level.
The fact that the Yankees have already relegated Acevedo to full-time duty in the bullpen is also concerning. Typically, teams do everything they can to keep their prospects stretched out as starters. Yankee scouts have clearly seen something in Acevedo’s game or delivery that has forced them to commit to him being a reliever full-time.
Obviously, Acevedo has terrific upside. At his best, he could end up being the next Dellin Betances. At his advanced age that seems unlikely though. If the Yankees can find a team to fall in love with his 100 mph fastball they should deal him for a move proven commodity.
1. Freicer Perez
Perez is the highest touted prospect on this list. ESPN rank him as the No. 4 prospect in the Yankee system. The team shouldn’t give him up for just anyone, but he should be available for the right player.
He’s another giant pitcher in the Yankees farm system. He may not be quite as big as Acevedo, but he’s not far away. Perez is listed at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds. Like Acevedo and Betances, he too has the ability to run the ball into the upper 90s with relative ease.
Unfortunately, Perez is not off to a good start in Tampa. Struggling in high A isn’t a good sign for a pitcher who’s already 22. His stuff is clearly good enough to ultimately be an effective major leaguer, but there are serious questions about how long that journey might take.
Next: 5 players the Yankees can trade for this season
Right now he’s much more prospect than player. That’s why this year is the right time for the Yankees to sell him while his stock is still high. Cashman and company can make a compelling case that he should be valued as a top-50 prospect. If New York can get that sort of value in return for Perez, they should jump at the chance.