5 New York Yankees who could be traded before Opening Day

4. Luis Gil is a Yankees trade candidate

Gil burst onto the Major League scene in 2021 by making three consecutive scoreless starts. Unfortunately for the talented righty, he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2022 campaign. The good news is that Gil is fully healthy and ready to go as Spring Training begins for the Yankees.

He will be given the opportunity to compete for a spot in the bullpen ahead of Opening Day. That could either be as a long reliever or as a late-inning option if the team's higher-ups don't believe his arm can take the pounding of a heavy innings load.

If Gil flashes good stuff in Spring Training it's possible another team could look to acquire him to fill a void in the back end of their starting rotation. That kind of value could allow the Yankees to acquire a younger prospect to help restock their minor league pitching depth.

The less attractive outcome for the Yankees would be to see Gil struggle so mightily that the organization is forced to offload him to free up a spot on the 40-man roster without losing him for nothing. Gil has as much variance as anyone on the team's roster heading into Spring Training. The odds slightly favor him finding a way to stay in the Bronx but he could turn into a trade chip in the coming weeks.