Cubs can cash in on Brian Cashman's incompetence with Yankees trade deadline need

Is getting swept in the 2024 Subway Series rock bottom for the New York Yankees? They can only hope so. Things have been trending south for a while in the Bronx, as they hold the second-worst record in the majors since June 7.

Virtually everyone has taken a step back from where they were at the beginning of the season, but the main reason why their offense in particular has struggled has to do with the fact that Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are surrounded by virtually nothing. I mean, Ben Rice and Austin Wells are the only other healthy players with an OPS above .700 with at least 100 plate appearances. It has been that bad.

Addressing the offense has to be one of, if not Cashman's top priority and one of the ways he can do that well is by adding a leadoff hitter to bat in front of the elite duo. A team like the Chicago Cubs, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network mentions, makes a lot of sense if that's what the Yankees are looking for, rostering both Nico Hoerner and former Yankee Mike Tauchman.

The Cubs having what the Yankees need could be the perfect opportunity for them to take advantage of a struggling and desperate executive, Brian Cashman.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

Cubs can cash in on Brian Cashman's incompetence and desperation by doing deadline deal with Yankees

Neither Tauchman nor Hoerner would fit seamlessly on this Yankees team due to the positions they play, but the Yankees can't really be picky at this point. They have to do whatever they can to prove to Juan Soto that they can win, and adding a leadoff hitter would go a long way in that regard.

While the Yankees might prefer better fits, it wouldn't be surprising to see them do yet another deal with Chicago. As Morosi noted, they've done several deals in recent years, and the Cubs have done pretty well in those trades.

They acquired Hayden Wesneski, a pitcher who has given them value in the rotation and bullpen over the last couple of years in exchange for a reliever, Scott Effross, who hasn't pitched since 2022 due to injury. They got Kevin Alcantara, their No. 6 prospect currently according to MLB Pipeline, in exchange for Anthony Rizzo who has only regressed over the years.

Even a trade that might not look super great with the Cubs giving up several years of Gleyber Torres for a couple of months of Aroldis Chapman resulted in a Chicago World Series win. There's no reason to believe Jed Hoyer and the Cubs wouldn't have success dealing with Cashman again.

The Yankees only have so many sellers to turn to. The Cubs can give them what they need, and get strong value back from an executive who might have his job on the line. It's the perfect scenario for Chicago to strike.