Ryan Garcia
I love this time of year because I go from unusually bored in late-May to being slammed with Yankees’ work across the Major League and Minor League levels.
Prospect updates, MLB Draft work, and the looming deadline which all serve as important pieces of information to guide my readers through a very difficult to predict window of transactions.
While I know very little about who specifically the Yankees will end up landing, in evaluating their roster I have assessed three needs that I’d like to see them check off before August 1st.
This stuff could change as injuries pop-up over the next six weeks, but these are three players I’m looking at if I’m Brian Cashman.
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Extending the Offense With Kody Clemens
Kody Clemens is the son of seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens, and while he doesn’t have the historically-dominant numbers, he does have some utility for the Minnesota Twins.
A versatile infielder and outfielder who can handle numerous positions, Clemens has provided a strong bat against RHP that could be of value to the Yankees.
Despite the perceived imbalance in favor of left-handed hitters, the 2026 Yankees have displayed more prowess from the right-handed side.
They have a .748 OPS against RHP and a .794 OPS against LHP, with the latter statistic being the best mark in the entire sport.
New York’s right-handed bats have a 119 wRC+ even in a down year for Aaron Judge’s standards and an extended injury to Giancarlo Stanton, while their lefties have a 109 wRC+.
Clemens would be a nice, affordable, and flexible piece for the Yankees to add to this roster in order to improve their offense against RHP.
A well-rounded bat that can balance excellent exit velocities with competitive bat-to-ball abilities, his pull-side power is a strong fit for Yankee Stadium.
Since 2025, Kody Clemens has a .796 OPS against right-handed pitching with 27 home runs against them in 476 Plate Appearances.
This is a notable improvement over Ryan McMahon, who is sitting at a .718 OPS over that timespan against righties with 25 home runs in 603 Plate Appearances.
With over 300 innings of pro experience at third base and strong defensive chops at second base I think Clemens would be fine at third, but I recognize it would be worse than McMahon’s median outcome.
That being said, the Yankees have gotten a -6 DRS and -3 FRV out of third base this year, they’ve won 43 of their first 70 games despite that.
Cutting Amed Rosario’s reps at third base and using Jose Caballero as the third baseman vs LHP would probably net them better defense than the McMahon/Rosario split has in the aggregate.
Can the Yankees & Padres Help Each Other (Again)?
The San Diego Padres have the worst team OPS in MLB (.658) and their starters rank in the bottom 10 in ERA and innings pitched; somehow this team is 37-33.
With their league-best 4.4 bullpen WAR, San Diego has stayed above water and remain in the Wild Card picture, but they feel more like a house of cards than a true contender.
Utilizing some of their bullpen depth at this year’s deadline may allow them to make some key upgrades on their roster that they may otherwise be unable to do given their drained farm system.
Adrian Morejon, an impending free agent who has been elite over the last three seasons, provides the power left-handed profile that would fit the Yankees’ bullpen like a glove.
The Yankees and Padres lined up in a Juan Soto deal because it revamped a depleted farm system following a massive 2022 trade deadline, and both teams were successful in 2024 as a result.
I think a three-team trade scenario would be the cleanest fit, and this is how I think that could play out in a mock deal:
- NYY Receives: Adrian Morejon
- SDP Receives: Taylor Ward
- BAL Receives: Bryce Cunnigham & Brock Selvidge
Maybe the prospect values here aren’t to your liking, but the point remains that this could be a fairly intelligent deal for all parties involved to make.
Adrian Morejon has a 2.75 ERA, 26% K%, and a 55% GB% since 2024, it’s safe to say that he would almost immediately become the 8th inning guy.
Morejon, Lagrange, and Doval is a ton of velocity jammed into one bullpen, with David Bednar, Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz, Clarke Schmidt, and Ryan Weathers as other potential options.
The Yankees’ Easiest Solution To Their Catcher Problem
I’m going to make the very bold claim that the New York Yankees will not run Ali Sanchez as their primary right-handed catcher in October.
As a result, I have them adding a right-handed catcher and think that Ryan Jeffers (if he returns looking fine) would be their best bet at the position.
Not only does he have excellent offensive numbers for a catcher (121 wRC+ since 2023), but he has worked with current catching instructor Tanner Swanson, which helps.
Adding a catcher midseason is daunting since you have to bring someone into the room who has no experience managing your current pitching staff, but I think it’ll be worth it for the offense.
You can even try and land him and Kody Clemens, which would give you a main lineup that looks like this:
- Grisham
- Rice
- Judge
- Bellinger
- Stanton
- Chisholm
- Jeffers
- Clemens
- Caballero (or Lombard)
I’m pretty confident that this lineup would torture pitching staffs because they have so much power throughout the lineup and a healthy dosage of bat-to-ball skills.
Jeffers and Clemens provide better hit tools than Austin Wells and Ryan McMahon, while Jose Caballero could end up losing out to George Lombard Jr. who’s been hot in Scranton as of late.
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