Yankees would be “factors” if superstar two-way player is made available in the offseason

The New York Yankees were very active before the trade deadline. They brought in five MLB players (Scott Effross, Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Andrew Benintendi, and Harrison Bader) and prospect Clayton Beeter; not to mention that they discussed several other transactions that weren’t completed.

They will have to face the rest of the season with their existing roster, plus any call-ups they decide to make. They do have, however, an eye on the offseason already, and if a certain star is made available, things could be really, really exciting for the Yankees.

The Los Angeles Angels, who look destined to another losing season, listened to offers for two-way star Shohei Ohtani. Ultimately, they opted to keep the slugger/ace: perhaps they felt the impact of trading him would be too large among fans, but the time to deal him was before the deadline, with his value being extremely high.

The Yankees would love to have Ohtani

Per NJ Advance Media, the Angels might hear some offers in the offseason, and if that’s the case, the Yankees could be in the mix. They have the goods, the financial power to entertain an extension, and the prospects to pull off a deal.

New York Post’s Joel Sherman wrote that “by keeping (Anthony) Volpe, (Oswald) Peraza, Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells and Trey Sweeney, the Yankees will be factors if the Angels dangle Shohei Ohtani or the A’s decide to move catcher Sean Murphy (yep, we can start thinking who will be available in that trade market now).”

Ohtani, who is 28 years old and has another arbitration season after 2022, is hitting .258 this year with 24 home runs and 64 RBI. As a pitcher, he’s been phenomenal, with a 9-7 record, a 2.83 ERA in 18 starts and 152 strikeouts.

Can the Yankees shake the market and complete a trade for Ohtani? According to Jon Heyman, they were among a few teams that made serious offers for him. Anything is possible.