Yankees rumors: 3 biggest trade deadline mistakes

3. The Yankees did not trade Josh Donaldson/not clear way for Matt Carpenter

Josh Donaldson has hit better than Joey Gallo recently … but that’s not a high bar and Donaldson hasn’t cleared it by much.

In his last 51 games, Donaldson has hit .197/.256/.344 with a wRC+ of 69. In nearly that same exact span, Matt Carpenter has been one of the Yankees’ best hitters. Since he joined the team on May 26, he has hit .321/.431/.807 with a wRC+ of 239. But Donaldson has received a lot more playing time than Carpenter … who can play third base.

Since June 3, Donaldson has played in 48 games and started 45 of those. Carpenter has played in 37 games and started 26. The Yankees can still rectify it somewhat by playing Carpenter more at third base, instead of in the outfield or on the bench.

Donaldson is still a good defender but right now, it’s not even a competition between Donaldson and Carpenter.

The issue would lie in Donaldson’s contract. He is making roughly $7 million for the rest of this season, $21.75 million next season, and a $16 million team option for 2024. If they traded him, the Yankees would have likely had to eat some of that contract. Carpenter also won’t be a long-term fix at third base since he’s 36 years old but he would be a much better stop-gap than Donaldson for the rest of the season.