3 early-season trades Yankees must make

If we were to grade the Yankees’ position groups each individually, the infield would be the only one so far this year that doesn’t merit an A or A+. That’s not to say New York needs to worry about the players they have on a day-to-day basis, or that there aren’t talented players in the fold. But adding one more piece to the puzzle, especially one more corner guy, could be the difference between too little and title.

Versatility should be stressed here, because in the right situations, it would be helpful to have someone who can start a game at either corner. DJ LeMahieu can be that guy when healthy, but we’ve yet to see him take the field this season. And Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera are both better served as utility men than everyday starters.

Some names that come to mind here: the Colorado Rockies’ Ryan McMahon, the Miami Marlins’ Jake Burger and the Oakland Athletics’ J.D. Davis, all depending on performance and asking price. Either way, we’re looking for offensive consistency and the ability to add something to the lineup if the Yankees are facing a tough pitcher and want to get their best offensive lineup on the field.

New York can strengthen strength in the bullpen

As usual in this era of Yankees baseball, the bullpen has been lights-out. It has gotten to the point where it doesn’t even seem to matter who wears that pinstriped uniform, because pitching coach Matt Blake and the Yankees’ advanced scouting department will find a way to turn them into a powerhouse. Ranking second in just about every stat behind only Cleveland, one could argue messing with the Yankees’ bullpen might not have much effect.

But it also seems noteworthy that at this point in the season, it’s not entirely clear who the Yankees’ most trusted lefty out of the bullpen will be down the stretch run. Victor Gonzalez has been that guy so far this season, but his 2.30 ERA comes with a shockingly high 5.75 FIP. The only other real option is Caleb Ferguson, who hasn’t done much at all. So why not go out and find a lefty the Yanks have no qualms about trusting in crunch time?

The perfect scenario here would be the Marlins’ Tanner Scott, who has been a stud closer the past two seasons and could fit nicely on any playoff contender’s roster. But if his price tag is too steep, some other potential impact additions would be the Athletics’ Kyle Muller or the Colorado Rockies’ Jalen Beeks. Having options is always a good thing. In this case, the more proven the options, the higher the Yanks’ confidence can be in tight spots moving forward.

Yankees should add a catcher for playoff push

There’s no denying that Jose Trevino has exceeded expectations in the batter’s box once again so far in 2024. He’s a 77 OPS+ hitter for his career and is all the way up to 117 in 103 plate appearances this season. But he did the exact same thing to start 2022 and then went 1-for-22 in the postseason to diminish the Yankees’ odds to win the championship by 3.4%, a remarkably high number for one man alone.

And who is Trevino’s backup at the moment? Rookie Austin Wells, who has plenty of promise, but has yet to prove he can be an above-average major league hitter. In the playoffs, you rarely want to sacrifice experience behind the plate for hitting talent, which means Wells is unlikely to start more than a game or two per series in October. At the end of the day, it would make everything easier to have a proven veteran hitter at the catching position.

Which brings us to the Rockies’ Elias Díaz, who is a 10-year veteran, possibly closing in on his second straight All-Star appearance, and rocking a 121 OPS+ while playing the best defense of his career. The only disadvantage is he wouldn’t be an effective platoon with Trevino, but the 2022 Astros rode a righty-righty catching split right to World Series glory and so can New York. Díaz might be that final missing piece that unlocks the final form of the 2024 Yankees.