New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is expected to be active at the trade deadline, whether that be acquiring an outfielder or starting pitcher.
The expectation is he will address multiple spots of weakness. Notably, the bullpen has been dealing with a bit of adversity lately. Rookie Ron Marinaccio was recently placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. With Aroldis Chapman struggling after dealing with Achilles tendinitis, there’s no saying if he will make a full recovery to his previous form.
However, if Cashman does want to make a move, he should consider leveraging prospect Estevan Florial. He has been refused a legitimate crack at a starting outfield spot. Florial has been making supplementary appearances in the MLB since 2020. He played in 11 games last year and four games this year, so far.
With such a small sample size of reps at the big league level, it is hard to determine whether Florial will be successful in the MLB. His Triple-A numbers this year indicate he has a lot of potential left to untap.
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There’s a lot to be desired with Estevan Florial:
Over four games with the Yankees this year, he’s been unable to record a hit, but with Scranton in Triple-A, he’s batting .308 with a 38.4% on-base rate and .521 slugging percentage. He’s hit 10 homers with 29 RBIs, stealing 26 bases. Florial is striking out at 29.5%, he’s been a bit more patient with a 10.7% walk rate.
There is legitimate value to Florial that Cashman can leverage in a prospective deal. Florial barely has any service time under his belt. At 24 years old, another team could see significant value in his qualities. He currently features a 139 wRC+, indicating he’s 39% better than the average Triple-A player. That would indicate he’s ready to make the jump to the MLB. Since Estevan doesn’t have exceptional power, the Yankees may not see him as a perfect fit in the outfield.
Defensively, Florial is capable of playing every outfield spot but mainly features in centerfield. With great athleticism and a solid arm, Florial could have plenty of value for a team that is eyeing a young player to take over in CF.
Since management refuses to give him an opportunity over a larger sample size, Cashman should utilize him in a trade at the deadline to improve the roster with more established talent. Given his numbers this year, they’d be selling high on him.