5 Yankees most likely to be traded this winter

The Yankees are going to evaluate a ton of trade options this winter. One or more of these five starts could definitely be on the move.

Losing to the Red Sox in the ALDS is not an acceptable way for a Yankees season to end. Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office are keenly aware of that reality. As such, you can expect a tumultuous offseason in the Bronx.

We’ve already written a lot about potential free agent signings and trade targets. What we haven’t covered to date is players within the organization who could be headed out-of-town. In this piece, we’ll walk you through the five players most likely to be dangled as trade bait.

For the record, the Yankees clearly value each player on the list. If they weren’t any good, no one would want to trade for them. Instead, all five of these guys are expendable players who could be attractive to another team. That’s precisely why they find themselves on this list. We’ll start by examining a talented right-hander who is running out of chances with the Yankees.

5. Chance Adams

12 months ago Adams was arguably the top arm in the Yankees farm system. His stock has dipped significantly since then. Now it’s very likely he’s going to top out as a AAAA pitcher inside the organization.

Guys with that sort of limited ceiling have a real habit of not sticking around in New York. Just ask Cody Carroll about how that works. The Yankees haven’t given up on Adams completely, but he’s absolutely available for the right price.

Remember, he got three appearances with the big league club last season and he didn’t take advantage of them. Racking up an ERA of 7.04 in his 7 2/3 innings pitched didn’t leave a great impression on the Yankees coaching staff.

Adams alone isn’t going to get New York a meaningful return, but he could be used to sweeten a deal with a more valuable prospect or regular. In some ways, it would be mildly surprising if he’s with the team when Opening Day arrives.