The New York Yankees are in freefall, and Jazz Chisholm just made matters worse through little fault of his own. While it's no secret the Yankees would prefer to move Chisholm off the hot corner to second base, a recent injury revelation suggests Brian Cashman may have to make a move sooner than expected. Per Chisholm, his shoulder has been bothering him for weeks, which has impacted his throwing arm and defensive ability at third. What was already a much-needed upgrade is now an urgent expectation, as Cashman and the Yankees cannot afford to stand pat for much longer.
Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Yankees are one of several teams interested in Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Suarez is more than capable defensively and offers another big bat for any lineup he's inserted in.
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Yankees are in the market for Eugenio Suarez for a reason
So far this season, Suarez has accumulated 2.6 bWAR and 26 home runs. He's been a rare bring spot for a Diamondbacks team that has let its fanbase down this season.
"The Yankees would love to acquire D-backs third baseman Eugenio Suarez at the deadline and slide Jazz Chisholm back to second base. The Yankees, along with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs, have also expressed interest in Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes," Nightengale wrote in his Sunday column.
As Nightengale mentioned, it's not cut and dry that the Yankees land Suarez, but the shoulder injury to Chisholm should increase their urgency by a lot, and perhaps their expectations for what they're willing to send back to Arizona in return. Another team that could use Suarez's services which Nightengale failed to mention is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Could Dodgers and Yankees do battle for Eugenio Suarez?
Max Muncy is expected to miss the next six weeks with what looked to be a painful knee injury. Muncy suffered the ailment as Clayton Kershaw was chasing his 3,000th strikeout just last week. The Yankees – along with other teams mentioned – should have an edge when dealing for Suarez given the Dodgers reside in the same division as the Diamondbacks. That being said, Los Angeles has a stronger farm system and perhaps a better chance at winning the World Series in 2025.
Both the Dodgers and Yankees have other options on the table at the hot corner. New York signed Jeimer Candelario this week, for example. Nolan Arenado and the aforementioned Hayes are available for the right asking price. Heck, the Cardinals might take a vending machine in return for Arenado at this point.
However, stealing Suarez from under the nose of the Dodgers, a team which defeated the Yankees in rather humilating fashion last October, would provide an added victory. By no means should that be the Yankees primary motivation, but it can't hurt matters with New York's AL East deficit growing by the day.