The New York Yankees got off to a good start to the 2025 season with a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day. But GM Brian Cashman and his staff still know the roster will need a lot of tweaks between now and October if New York are going to be legitimate World Series contenders.
Plenty of Yankee fans will be excited about the prospect of infusing new talent onto manager Aaron Boone's roster. But those additions cannot be made without an equal number of subtractions. Injuries will open up some opportunities for new stars to head to the Bronx, but several members of the current roster won't be able to finish the year in New York.
The following three Yankees should not get too comfortable inside the team clubhouse. They are prime candidates to be moved out if Cashman can secure an upgrade at their position.
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Yankees trade candidate No. 1: Oswaldo Cabrera
One look at the Yankees' depth chart makes it obvious that third base is the weakest spot amongst the team's out field players. Oswaldo Cabrera started at the hot corner on Opening Day but he does not have the powerful bat required to profile as an above-average starter at the position.
Cabrera's biggest strength is his ability to fill in at multiple positions. He's best utilized as a super-utility player by any team with legitimate playoff aspirations. In a perfect world, Cashman could acquire a star third baseman that would permit Cabrera to slide back into his natural role as an outstanding bench option.
The problem with that plan is that the Yankees will need to offload Major League-ready talent in a deal to acquire such an upgrade. It's easy to envision a scenario where Cabrera is a key piece of any team's return in a deal for a superior third base option. That's why his days in the Bronx are numbered.
Yankees trade candidate No. 2: Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman experienced a terrific reversal of fortune in spring training for the Yankees. He started the preseason as a prime name on the team's trade block and headed into Opening Day as the No. 3 starting pitcher in Boone's rotation.
Much of Stroman's good fortune is a result of injuries to his peers. Gerrit Cole's Tommy John surgery created one more opening in the rotation. Luis Gil also went down, leaving New York short of two pitchers they believed would anchor the group.
None of that means the Yankees are now counting on Stroman to be a part of their long-term plans. They clearly did not trust him to be a part of last year's postseason roster, which limits his role to a regular-season innings-eater in New York. His salary outweighs that role by a wide margin.
The ideal scenario for Cashman and his staff is that Stroman will pitch well enough to start the season to increase his trade value in a mid-season transaction for a player with more upside. If Stroman is still on this roster in October, something's gone wrong with the Yankees pitching staff.
Yankees trade candidate No. 3: Pablo Reyes
Pablo Reyes deserves credit for beating the odds to make the team's Opening Day roster as a backup infielder. Boone brought him north with the team on the basis of his strong spring performance.
But there's a reason why Reyes has bounced about the majors with several different teams over the last several seasons. He's a 31-year-old fringe Major Leaguer with a career batting average of .248; he is not the sort of difference-maker a team like the Yankees would like to bring off the bench.
Reyes might survive for a while if he swings a hot bat and plays solid defense, but the Yankees will want a bench option with a higher ceiling heading into the postseason. That's when Reyes will be offloaded either by trade or outright release.