3 prospects the Yankees could trade not named Jasson Dominguez
By Marci Rubin
The New York Yankees are in desperate need of help. Which prospects could be traded to bolster this struggling lineup?
As the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline approaches, many fans are wondering what the New York Yankees can do to turn this season around. Some are wondering if they will buy at the deadline or not. The Yankees are in last place in the American League East. Prior to play on July 29, they’re 3.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot. The Yankees are still in the hunt, but their playoff hopes are shaky.
If the Yankees are going to find a way to get back into the playoff picture, they need their big bats to wake up. In Aaron Judge’s first at-bat after returning from the IL on Friday, he was walked three times. Frankly, if nothing changes with this lineup, Judge is going to see a lot of walks.
What’s missing this season which the Yankees had last season was protection for Judge. The likes of DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres in the same lineup as Judge last year meant Judge was seeing better pitches because there were other hitters to fear. This year, Torres is really the only one of those four players who is pulling weight.
Recently, the struggling players have each shown glimpses of what they’re capable of. Not only do the Yankees need their big guys to pull their weight, but they also need another bat or two. Those bats should come in the form of an outfielder and perhaps a third baseman. They might also trade for a catcher following Jose Trevino’s season-ending surgery.
To bring in MLB talent from another team, an organization has to be willing to let go of prospects when needed. No. 1 prospect Jasson Dominguez should be off-limits. Here are three prospects on trade watch ahead of the deadline.
Yankees prospect trade watch: Oswald Peraza
A trade involving Peraza would hurt because he’s noticeably become a fan-favorite. While a Peraza trade once seemed unlikely, it’s perhaps become more likely because of the state the Yankees are in. Peraza hit .306 in 18 MLB games in 2022 and .173 in 19 games this year. It could be said that he just didn’t have enough time to get cooking in the big leagues this season.
Peraza was recently sent down when Aaron Judge returned from the IL. He’s slashing .261/.352/.495 in Triple-A this year. The 23-year-old is considered MLB-ready or very close to MLB-ready. If another club that needs an infielder, Peraza could be seeing significant time in an MLB lineup, which isn’t happening on the Yankees right now.
There hasn’t been room for Peraza in the infield this season. He lost out on the shortstop job to rookie Anthony Volpe, and Gleyber Torres is at second base. The Yankees have employed an expensive tandem at the hot corner, with Josh Donaldson (now injured) as their third baseman and utility infielder DJ LeMahieu seeing plenty of time there, as well.
Volpe isn’t a trade candidate, but Torres is always part of the trade rumor mill. If Torres is dealt, Peraza would stay, and vice versa. Another route for the Yankees would be offloading LeMahieu’s contract and awarding Peraza third base.
As the trade deadline looms, the Yankees know they need to make a move. Would they be willing to part with Peraza? It certainly depends on what they’d get in return. If the Yankees could get an outfielder with a hot bat or a catcher replacement, they might pull the trigger.