The New York Yankees‘ depth chart is currently in disarray, partly due to injuries and partly because the front office did not adequately address pressing needs or secure suitable reinforcements during the offseason. This issue is most evident in the outfield, but similar cases could be made for third base and the relief corps.
The infield appears to be the only area of the roster with quality depth. With Oswald Peraza now called up, he has not been playing every day as he likely should be, due to the presence of Anthony Volpe, DJ LeMahieu, and Gleyber Torres in his possible positions.
An argument could be made for Peraza to replace one of them, but that trio, along with Anthony Rizzo, represents virtually all the offensive firepower the team has at the moment, given that Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Josh Donaldson are on the sidelines and Oswaldo Cabrera has yet to find his rhythm.
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Yankees may consider trading an infielder:
According to general manager Brian Cashman, the team’s depth in the infield has allowed the Yankees to entertain trade scenarios. On Wednesday, he hinted that he is examining some possibilities involving his deep infield, which also includes Oswaldo Cabrera and Isiah Kiner-Falefa as emergency options.
“We’re exploring a lot of efforts. If you look at our roster, we’re deep on the infield side. We’re pursuing opportunities in trading from an area of strength, but if we get the right value,” Cashman said.
In fact, the Yankees have been expected to trade either Peraza or Torres for some time now. There was even a deal in place last year to acquire Pablo Lopez in exchange for Gleyber. This remains a strong possibility for the coming weeks.
Torres, 26, is batting .245/.350/.422 with four home runs, five stolen bases, and a 119 wRC+. Peraza has struggled with a 65 wRC+ but has six years of team control remaining and a wealth of talent. These two are the most likely candidates to be traded, possibly for outfield help, but the team is expected to move only one of them.
A blockbuster deal could be in the works within the next few days.