How Yankees can build a Fernando Tatis Jr. trade package the Padres can't refuse

The New York Yankees are in a prime position to re-sign both Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham after the latter accepted his $22 million qualifying offer. Factor in Aaron Judge and Jasson Domínguez, and it's not like the Yankees need outfield depth in the worst of ways.

That said, Fernando Tatis Jr., should he be made available, will almost certainly become a central focus for Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office. How could he not be? The San Diego Padres outfielder offers legitimate five-tool superstardom and a compelling postseason résumé. New York can find a spot for him.

Yankees should focus its resources on a potential Fernando Tatis Jr. trade

A lot of Yankees fans are understandably tied up in Kyle Tucker speculation. He's the biggest offseason prize, but the cost — potentially over $40 million annually for the next decade-plus — could lead even the Yankees to think twice, especially when Tucker's most recent campaign featured its share of lows to counterbalance the highs.

It's not as if Tatis is coming off of his most productive individual season, but he's two years younger than Tucker and far more affordable. Tatis is due only $20.7 million in 2026, which is a bargain price. He's also under contract through 2034, which gives his next team a long window of club control.

Here is how the rest of his deal shapes up.

Tatis' contract will be harder to stomach once the 2030s hit, but every superstar gets overpaid on the back end. The Yankees can at least count on Tatis to remain productive through his age-35 season, whereas Kyle Tucker could be raking in $40 million in his age-38 season. The risk here is muted, especially since Tatis comes at such a discount in the short term.

Of course, Tatis is far from a guaranteed trade option, but the door is at least open. The Padres are in a sticky spot financially and A.J. Preller, entering the final year of his contract as GM, may need to pull a few rabbits out of his hat to keep his job. The Padres have the sixth-highest payroll in MLB. If the goal is to trim salary and deepen the organizational depth chart, Tatis is their best trade asset.

Tatis also offers valuable flexibility to the Yankees. He's a gifted right fielder, but his athleticism should play well in left or center, if needed. Tatis also has experience at shortstop, meaning New York can re-sign Bellinger and trade for Tatis, in theory. It's not like Anthony Volpe has made a strong case to start at shortstop in perpetuity.

Fernando Tatis Jr. would elevate the best lineup in the AL

The Yankees led MLB in home runs (274) and runs scored (849) last season. This was far and away the most explosive lineup in the AL. Toronto, Boston and other contenders might generate more cosistent contact, but the Yankees can slug the heck out of the ball, which is more valuable than ever before. Tatis would elevate their profile even further, whether he's replacing Bellinger or joining him.

Last season, Tatis finished with an .814 OPS and 125 OPS+, rocking 25 home runs with 71 RBI. In 2021, Tatis cranked 42 home runs and finished third in NL MVP voting. A true five-tool superstar, Tatis offers one of the highest individual ceilings in MLB. He can steal 30-plus bases, smack 30-plus home runs, and hit for a healthy average, all while supplying elite defense (eight outs above average in 2025, in MLB's 94th percentile). That last bit is especially valuable to a Yankees team with far too many defensive liabilities.

Tatis offers a stabilizing force across the board. The Yankees strike out too much? Tatis has a healthy 18.4 percent K rate. The Yankees are too inconsistent? The more star talent in a lineup, the fewer lulls that lineup experiences. Tatis historically offers a much higher baseline than Bellinger. If he's replacing Volpe at shortstop, that's an even more dramatic improvement. The Yankees need quality defenders? Better base-runners? Tatis delivers on both fronts.

New York has the financial wherewithal to accommodate Tatis' contract. That is the only real obstacle for most clubs, as Tatis' productivity and versatility makes him an easy fit almost anywhere. Very few MLB teams just flatly don't need what Tatis brings to the table.

That leads us to our final question...

Can the Yankees build a trade package the Padres would accept?

To sum it up quickly... yes, the Yankees can build a trade package good enough to pique the interest of Preller and the Padres front office. San Diego typically prefers win-now firepower over prospect capital, but San Diego emptied out its farm system at the trade deadline and still lost in the NL wild card round. Preller needs to restore balance and build up the future. Tatis gives the Padres a chance to recoup significant long-term assets.

The Yankees' farm system certainly isn't the best in MLB, but there are several prospects who appeal directly to San Diego's foremost needs in this scenario: replacing Tatis' bat and upgrading a razor-thin rotation.

Here's how a trade might shake out.

Given his age and contract, Tatis won't come cheap. It's a lot of money to take on, sure, but he's a 26-year-old with an MVP ceiling and precious few true weaknesses. As such, the Yankees would need to dip into their fairly deep farm system — especially when it comes to pitching, as the Padres need more bullets in the rotation.

Righty Carlos Lagrange (NYY's No. 2 prospect) and lefty Henry Lalane (NYY's No. 9 prospect) figure to tempt the Padres. Both stand 6-foot-7, offering unique extension and delivery angles. Lagrange can push 102 MPH on his fastball. Lalane doesn't operate with the same pure power, but he's an incredible athlete with potentially elite off-speed offerings.

Jasson Domínguez was New York's No. 1 prospect a couple years ago. He's not off to the most explosive start in MLB, but he finished the 2025 campaign with a .719 OPS and 101 OPS+ at just 22 years old. He's a simple right field solution for the Padres, although a propensity for strikeouts and fielding errors has dampened his value to the point of being a potential trade headliner, rather than an off-limits building block in New York.

Shortstop Dax Kilby (NYY's No. 7 prospect) rounds things out. It's unclear if he can actually stick defensively at a premium position in MLB, but Kilby's a solid enough athlete. He really delivers in the IQ department; his ability to track pitches, work counts, and generate consistent contact should appeal to San Diego as it prepares for a future beyond Xander Bogaerts.

The Yankees still maintain their top positional prospect in shortstop George Lombard Jr., as well as a deep pitching pipeline beyond Lagrange and Lalane. If that's doable, then Tatis ought to be a top priority. He can put the Yankees over the top.