The Yankees rebuilt their outfield this off-season with the additions of Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham. Unfortunately, both Soto and Verdugo are in the final of arbitration and could leave in free agency in 2025. The Yankees would be left right back where they started, going full circle after investing heavily in building one of the most offensively stout units in the league.
If both players do end up leaving, the Yankees will likely transition over to their young prospects, Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones. Grisham is still under contract until 2026, and Giancarlo Stanton until 2028. With plenty of depth and caliber talent climbing the ranks, the Yankees may have no choice but to consider Everson Pereira as a trade piece moving forward.
The Yankees May Offload Everson Pereira at Some Point
Pereira, 22, was one of the team’s exciting prospects last season. He dominated in Triple-0A before being promoted late in the year when the Yankees were officially out of playoff contention. With Scranton, Pereira played 35 games, hitting .312/.386/.551, eight homers and 33 RBIs with a 132 wRC+.
Similar to many Yankee prospects, he struggled with reducing its strike rate, opting for our power. Over 27 games in the MLB, he hit .151/.233/.194, including a 38.8% strikeout rate and a 23 wRC+.
Clearly, he needs more opportunities to develop his plate discipline and become more comfortable against major-league pitching. Unfortunately, the Yankees may never be able to give him that level of sample size, so moving him to a team that can inject him into a position battle may be ideal.
The problem is that the Yankees simply don’t want to give away Pereira for nothing, and teams have been reluctant to include him in deals this off-season. They want to see more, especially after hitting just .207 with a .226 OBP this spring, including one homer and six RBIs with a 35.5% strikeout rate. His development is trending in the wrong direction, but he’s only 22 years old and has a minor league option left, so there is still plenty of value to be had if a team is going to give him the time to adjust.
Considering the Yankees need pitching, and they are refusing to offload Dominguez and Jones, Pereira could be included in a future deal, especially if they decide to target Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians down the stretch.