MLB Rumors: Cutch trade talk, Yanks-Cards buzz, Reds next prospect on the way
By Kristen Wong
MLB Rumors: Yankees, Cardinals can fill each other’s needs at trade deadline
“Without Aaron Judge” has been the sad, pitiful narrative of this offensively lost New York Yankees team in 2023, and if they don’t want to throw their season away, they will make some key changes at the trade deadline.
One move could see them do business with the St. Louis Cardinals, who are also going through a stinker of a season. St. Louis needs pitching depth. New York needs a decent hitter (or two). Theoretically, these two teams could plug each other’s holes fairly easily come August.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer proposed a trade in which the Cardinals send Paul DeJong and Alec Burleson to the Yankees in return for three top pitching prospects. Specifically, the Cardinals would get Will Warren, Richard Fitts, and Randy Vasquez.
Rymer writes of the Yankees’ tradable prospects:
"These three right-handers are the Yankees’ No. 7, No. 8 and No. 12 prospects, respectively, and each can currently be found pitching in the upper levels of the minors. As they’re presumably uninterested in a protracted rebuild, that could matter to the Cardinals."
Going after solid but not star hitting power like DeJong and Burleson could feel like sticking a slippery band-aid on New York’s offensive issues; however, the truth is that the Yankees can’t afford much more.
By comparison, Cardinals’ Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, and Dylan Carlson boast more impressive resumes, but acquiring those guys would likely require a haul of young pitching talent — talent New York doesn’t exactly have or may not be willing to give up.
Both teams could come away from this somewhat low-stakes trade satisfied with their returns and may find the spark they need to keep their respective seasons alive.