The New York Yankees already have their right fielder in Aaron Judge and an above-average center fielder in Harrison Bader. The left field position, however, remains a mystery: they probably don’t want to go into spring training with Aaron Hicks entrenched as the regular there, and they probably prefer Oswaldo Cabrera as a super-utility player.
A free agent signing is certainly a possibility, but with Brandon Nimmo and Masataka Yoshida off the board, Andrew Benintendi could be their best option. If they don’t like his price tag, however, they could always go to the trade market.
There, Bryan Reynolds of the Pittsburgh Pirates is the best option, with above-average offensive production and a capable glove. He is also considered expensive in terms of prospects, however, and the Yankees may be forced to look to other clubs for potential upgrades.
- Yankees have acquired 6 projected starters post-Juan Soto departure
- Yankees eyeing All-Star upside from injury-prone relief arm
- Yankees could clear almost $20 million to spend with one trade
Can the Yankees swing a deal with the D-Backs?
One of these clubs could be the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, they might be willing to deal some of their outfield talent and are seeking MLB-ready players in return since they aren’t that far from putting together a contending team.
“The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, seem likely to trade one of their left-handed hitting center fielders — Daulton Varsho, Alek Thomas or Jake McCarthy (as reported earlier, Corbin Carroll, the most highly regarded of their emerging outfielders, is not in play),” Rosenthal said.
Of the three names listed there, Varsho is by far the best and most attractive option. He is 26 and just led the D-Backs in WAR with 4.6, hitting .235/.302/.443 with 27 home runs and a 106 wRC+.
Varsho is a phenomenal defensive outfielder who can play center, and he can also play catcher in a pinch. It’s hard to see the D-Backs trading him, but they seem to be open to the idea, and the Yankees have some MLB-ready talent to deal, like Gleyber Torres, Oswald Peraza, Cabrera, and some pitchers.
Thomas is promising but had a 71 wRC+ in 411 trips to the plate in 2022, while McCarthy did post a 116 wRC+ but probably wouldn’t move the needle too much for the Yankees.