This Yankees-Giants trade would fix New York's historically awful strikeout problem

The New York Yankees were always going to struggle offensively to an extent with both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the IL, but things have been worse than anyone could've expected on that end. New York set MLB history on Tuesday, becoming the first team to strike out 17 or more times in back-to-back nine-inning games. With Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour starting against them, it's not as if they were facing the best the league has to offer, either.

This is a problem. Yes, they hope to have Judge and Stanton back before the postseason, and yes, guys who have been struggling like Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are bound to get going sooner rather than later, but strikeouts have been an issue all year. Some strikeouts are fine, but strikeouts to this degree are not. Fortunately, the perfect player to counteract their strikeout issues, Luis Arraez, figures to be available at the trade deadline, and the Yankees have the ability to acquire him by sending over this mock proposal to the San Francisco Giants.

This Yankees-Giants trade would help fix New York's strikeout problem

If the goal is to make more contact, there isn't a better player to pursue than Luis Arraez, who has struck out a total of 15 times in 380 plate appearances this season, and has a wildly impressive 5.9 percent strikeout rate in his career. To put it simply, nobody who bats as often as Arraez makes even close to as much contact as Arraez.

To get such a prolific contact hitter, though, you're going to need to part with some valuable assets, and the Yankees would be doing that here. Henry Lalane and Jace Avina are two of their top 20 prospects, and they'd be going to San Francisco in this mock trade. While both fan bases would likely be against such a deal going down, there's reason to believe it makes sense for all involved.

Would the Yankees do this trade?

Part of what makes Arraez such an intriguing fit for the Yankees now is that he's more well-rounded than he used to be. Arraez has always been an insane contact hitter, but that was all he was any good at. Now, Arraez is playing a Gold Glove-caliber second base (he used to be one of the worst defensive infielders in the league) while posting the highest OPS of his career (.826) since 2023. As good a player as he is, though, he isn't exactly a perfect fit on paper because the Yankees already have a second baseman, Jazz Chisholm Jr.

The Yankees would have to move Chisholm to third base, a position in which he hasn't exactly dazzled in recent years, but doing so would kill two birds with one stone. Acquiring Arraez would improve the Yankees' team contact, and moving Chisholm to third base would replace Ryan McMahon, one of the roster's weakest links.

Whether they'd do this trade partially has to do with Chisholm's willingness to play third base, but assuming he'd be fine with the transition, I see no reason not to do it. He might be a rental, but Arraez has had a tremendous year, and while Lalane and Avina are prospects with upside, they'd hold onto the best their farm system has to offer. This trade would put them in a better position to win now, while keeping their ammo to address other roster holes, which should be the ultimate goal.

Verdict: Yes, assuming Chisholm would be open to moving to third base

Would the Giants do this trade?

As bad as things have been for the Yankees lately, at least they're not the Giants. At 38-53, the Giants have the third-worst record in the National League and are all-but out of postseason contention. This reality will almost certainly lead to them being deadline sellers, and that consists of, at a bare minimum, trading veterans on expiring contracts, much like Arraez. Whether they'd do this trade comes down to whether they'd have a better offer. I'm not sure they would, in this case.

Lalane was once one of the best pitching prospects in the Yankees system. His stock right now isn't where it used to be, but it's rebuilt, as after some injury-riddled years, the southpaw has a 2.74 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) for Low-A Tampa. He has been particularly effective of late, recording back-to-back starts of at least seven shutout innings to go along with three hits or fewer and 11 strikeouts or more. To take it a step further, Lalane has allowed a total of five runs in his last seven starts while completing at least five innings in each appearance, and four of those runs came in one outing. He's been dominant for over a month now.

Avina has a ton of power (16 home runs this season) and a pretty good eye at the plate while being a good athlete in the outfield. I'm not sure he'll stick in center field, but he should be a good defender in the corners. His problem is his hit tool, as he has a 27.9 percent strikeout rate as a 23-year-old in Double-A and he's fanned over 30 percent of the time in his minor league career. The strikeout concerns make him risky, but his upside is worth taking a shot on, particularly as a second piece in a deal for a rental.

The Giants might not be in love with Avina as a prospect, but there's every reason in the world to be buying Lalane's stock right now. Getting both of them in a deal for a rental, even one as good as Arraez, feels too good of value to turn down.

Verdict: Yes

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