4 massive trade chips Yankees need to sell in a fire sale
By John Buhler
If the New York Yankees start selling pieces off, they will have plenty of potential trade assets.
In a year full of massive expectations, the 2021 New York Yankees are coming up painfully short.
While New York has been a few games above .500 throughout the regular season, the Yankees find themselves in fourth place in the AL East as the All-Star Game approaches. For a team that had a World Series or bust label attached to it, it is easy to understand why big changes to this roster might be necessary. If the Yankees do become sellers, they do have some high-end pieces.
Here are the Yankees’ four best trade assets heading into the deadline if they are indeed sellers.
New York Yankees: 4 best trade assets heading into the July deadline
player. 43. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 4. SS. New York Yankees. Gleyber Torres
Gleyber Torres is a former All-Star playing a key position on a cheap contract
Look. Every player who appears on the Yankees’ potential fire sale list is going to be painful, so get used to it. One player who could fetch the Yankees quite the return would be shortstop Gleyber Torres. The two-time AL All-Star is arbitration eligible this winter, as well as the following two offseasons before he hits free agency in 2025 ahead of his age-28 season out of Venezuela.
While he has struggled at the plate the last two seasons, we did see Torres hit over .270 in his first two big-league seasons with the Bronx Bombers. Maybe a change of scenery could help him get back to being well above-average in the batter’s box? For now, he is not hitting at a level associated with a franchise cornerstone. Even worse, he is offering no power at all at the plate.
After hitting 24 and 38 home runs in his first two seasons with New York, Torres has combined to hit a measly six in 115 games over the last two years. His evaporating power is a massive issue for this Yankees lineup. While Torres does not have the trade value he once had, he does offer some for the Yankees if they are looking to reload, or even rebuild a bit, to fix the middle of their infield.
Past performance and being on a cheap contract the next three seasons are in Torres’ favor here.