New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is waiting until the final moment to execute a number of trades to improve the roster. His team desperately needs reinforcement in the outfield, bullpen, and starting pitching rotation. However, overpaying for rentals is not exactly the route Cashman wants to take, if possible.
He could look to the Miami Marlins, though, to find several supplements, pillaging their team for starting talent.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Miami Marlins are in complete sell-now mode on everyone not named Sandy Alcantara.
There are a few great names that Miami will consider trading, notably Joey Wendle, Anthony Bass, and even star infielder Jazz Chisholm.
Let’s break down each player and how they would fit seamlessly into the Yankees’ plans:
Joey Wendle:
No matter how many singles Isiah Kiner-Falefa produces, he is still playing below-average baseball. Featuring an 84 wRC+, indicating he’s 16% worse than the average MLB player, there’s no getting around the numbers. Yes, he does have a few timely hits and makes some flashy plays, but he currently hosts a .964 fielding percentage with 11 errors this season, on pace to record more than his 2021 total of 19.
In fact, if not for Anthony Rizzo and his unbelievable ability to scoop balls out of the dirt, Kiner-Falefa may have already passed that number by a significant margin. There’s a good argument to make that Joey Wendle would smooth over the shortstop position while providing even more versatility in the infield.
Wendle currently features a 116 wRC+, 16% better than the average player, hosting a .300 average and 34.7% on base rate. Wendle isn’t known for his home run capabilities, hitting just two, but that’s 200% more than IKF has produced this season.
Wendle features a 5.7% walk rate and 10.2% strike-out rate, but his ability to generate base hits, especially with runners in scoring position, is valuable. Wendle hosts a .393 average with RISP, including 11 hits and just two strikeouts over 28 at-bats. He has 16 RBIs in those instances. By the numbers, he would be a tremendous addition to the Yankees infield, and he has a mutual option for the 2023 season, meaning the team could retain him on a cheap contract.
- Yankees decline to give $21 million qualifying offer to key infielder
- Yankees retain ace on $144 million deal despite intial opt out
- Yankees and ace pitcher ‘making positive steps’ toward a contract resolution
Anthony Base:
While everyone is focused on Chicago Cubs relief pitcher David Robertson, Marlins bullpen arm Anthony Bass has been forgotten. At 34 years old, Bass is having his best season as a professional, hosting a 1.48 ERA over 42.2 innings. He’s earned 9.07 strikeouts per nine, the best in his career, and just a 2.2% HR/FB ratio. He’s leaving 77.7% of runners on base with a 37.7% ground ball rate.
Bass is a primary slider/sinker ball thrower, utilizing his slider at 58.2% and fastball at 37.5%. The right-handed bullpen arm would help smooth over the loss of Michael King, and considering he’s on a one-year deal with a club option for next season, he probably wouldn’t cost a ton to acquire.
Jazz Chisolm:
Acquiring Jazz Chisolm is extremely unlikely, but if the Marlins are willing to consider trading him, the Yankee should test the waters. The star infielder is just 24 years old and will hit free agency in 2027. Jazz is a charismatic player with underrated power and fantastic athleticism. He’s hitting .254 this season with a 32.5% on-base rate, hitting 14 homers and 45 RBIs. While his strikeout rate hovers around 27%, he follows the Yankees’ mantra to perfection, “hit strikes hard.”
With the proper guidance and coaching, Chisolm could be one of the best players in baseball offensively but is already a stud on the defensive side. This season, he hosts a .982 fielding percentage with just four errors over 476 innings at second base.
To acquire Jazz, Cashman would need to include multiple quality prospects, but far less than a prospective Juan Soto trade. In fact, the Yankees could probably land Wendle, Bass, and Wendle for significantly less than Soto would cost, for good reason.