The New York Yankees have several holes on their roster despite the fact they have been one of the best teams in baseball this season. They have recently fallen into a rut and lost 11 of their last 15, and severe issues with their infield are a big reason why.
Anthony Rizzo, who boasts a .630 OPS this season, is currently out with a fractured arm. Ben Rice, his replacement, has a .643 OPS. Second baseman Gleyber Torres (.646) and third baseman DJ LeMahieu (.467) have struggled badly to this point, as has utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera (.623). The Yankees don’t seem to have internal solutions for the mess in their infield.
That situation might force the Yankees to go to the trade market and bring in one or two quality infielders. One of them could definitely be Los Angeles Angels’ Luis Rengifo.
Rengifo has shown that he has enough power to hit 15-20 home runs annually. In addition to that, he is having one of the finest seasons of his young career in 2024, slashing a cool .317/.362/.446 with six homers, 24 RBI, 11 doubles, 36 runs and a .808 OPS.
The Yankees would love Rengifo’s versatility
Not only Rengifo has solid pop, but he is also a difference-maker on the basepaths with 21 steals in 27 attempts. The best thing about is profile, however, is his defensive versatility.
Rengifo is capable of playing second base, third base, shortstop, and the two outfield corners. We are sure that with training, he could also do a fine job at first base. He would give the Yankees lots of daily solutions without hurting the lineup at all.
The Angels are one of the worst teams in the American League. They are not going anywhere this year and might trade Rengifo is the prospects return is substantial. It’s the perfect time to flip him value-wise, since he will be entering free agency after the 2025 campaign.
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The Yankees would be wise to entertain a deal for Rengifo. It would put them closer to having a decent and deep lineup beyond Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.