The New York Yankees‘ Aaron Boone announced today that center fielder Aaron Hicks will miss the rest of the season. Fans in the Bronx have expected this news ever since it was announced that Hicks would need wrist surgery.
While Hicks has been solid for the most part during his Yankees tenure, his absence won’t be felt much this season. Up until the point of his injury, Hicks had an abysmal .194 average and his walks were down with an OBP of .294.
His defense wasn’t anything spectacular and Yankees fans were growing restless. Now, Hicks can focus on getting healthy and the Yankees can focus on what they’ll do about replacing him.
The bombers did call up top prospect Estevan Florial today and it looks like he’s going to get a shot. Florial has been lighting it up in AA and AAA so far this season. Now that he’s healthy, Florial is starting to show why he was a top prospect for years.
Florial also bats from the left side of the plate. The Yankees are said to be looking hard at left-handed bats at the upcoming trade deadline. If Florial comes up and does great, the need obviously goes down. However, if he struggles, could the bombers call up the Giants for another trade?
Yankees and Giants Trade – Take 2
Back in April, the Yankees pulled the trigger on trading Mike Tauchman to San Francisco for reliever Wandy Peralta. While Peralta started well, he’s been struggling as of late for the Yankees.
The bombers made this trade due to the injuries in the bullpen and their excess number of outfielders. In hindsight, they probably regret pulling the trigger on this deal. However, you obviously can’t go back in time.
If the bombers decide to really go after a left-handed bat, there are a couple of very solid options with the Giants. If you want someone that checks every box in terms of needs, the answer would be Mike Yastrzemski.
Yastrzemski is 30 years old and he’s just now going to be arbitration eligible at the end of this season. The Giants love him, but perhaps the Yankees could put together a nice deal to pry him away.
Yastrzemski is batting .221 with six home runs and 13 RBIs so far this season. He’s more suited for the corners, but given the injury concerns with virtually every Yankees outfielder, he could still be someone they take a look at.
Another name to watch with Giants would be Gerrit Cole’s brother-in-law Brandon Crawford. The shortstop is off to a tremendous start hitting .261 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs.
Obviously, the Yankees have a set infield, but they could get creative if they wanted to pursue Crawford. His lefty bat and tremendous glove would be welcomed in the Bronx and you know that Gerrit Cole would approve.
Giant Issue
While the Yankees and Giants do line up for a potential deal, there is one big thing standing in the way. The Giants look like legit contenders this year and are off to a 30-19 start.
Of course, a lot can change between now and the deadline. If the Giants fall completely off of a cliff, the Yankees could jump in and try to get one of their left-handed bats. However, that’s far from a guarantee.
The Yankees have been speaking with the Rangers about their outfields and Cashman has been sending feelers out there. The odds of another Yankees – Giants trade is low at the moment. However, that can change at the drop of a dime.
Everything is fluid right now, but this potential trade matchup could heat up quickly as we get closer to the deadline.