The New York Yankees turned some heads and made a trade for power-hitting first baseman and DH Edwin Encarnacion, previously of the Seattle Mariners. But what does this trade mean for the Yankees?
A future trade
A possibility is that the team is building up it’s roster to make a trade for a pitcher at the deadline. By getting Encarnacion, you can deals guys like Kendrys Morales, Thairo Estrada, and Clint Frazier for a starting pitcher like Marcus Stroman or even Max Scherzer.
Or, because the Yankees gave up so little to the Mariners, maybe they have a plan to involved Encarnacion in another trade. But, with him leading the AL in home runs, I doubt that the Yankees would trade him unless a perfect deal comes about.
Where does he play?
We believe that Encarnacion will be the designated hitter, and will play first on occasion. If possible, the Yankees want to keep DJ LeMahieu at second and third.
But, adding Encarnacion may restrict everyone’s playing time a bit. Gio Urshela is cooling down, so maybe LeMahieu has to end up playing third more often.
Overall, I think that this is a good trade for the Yankees. It sets up a bigger trade and adds power to the current lineup.