New York Yankees Encouraged To Pursue Silver Slugger At The Trade Deadline

The New York Yankees are one of the favorites in the American League once again. AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge is leading an offense that knows how to put up runs. However, the lineup hasn’t been as potent as of late, and there are definitely holes in the lineup. As the standings start to become clearer, we are starting to get an idea of who the buyers and sellers are. As the trade deadline gets closer, the Yankees have been urged to target Cleveland Guardians Silver Slugger Jose Ramirez.

New York Yankees To Target Jose Ramirez?

To be clear, the Guardians have given no indication they want to move on from the six-time all-star. However, the team is trending in the wrong direction. They are 9.5 games back in the AL Central and are 3-7  in their last ten games. While they are only a half a game out of the final wild card spot, the team could look to be sellers and restock for the future. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer thinks the New York Yankees should try to take advantage of the opportunity.

“Cleveland has also lost 35 games, though, and the Detroit Tigers have made it clear the AL Central is their division now. The Guardians simply don’t have the star power to flip the script in 2025, and maybe not in 2026, either.”

“This said, the Yankees’ contention outlook is a heck of a lot better than Cleveland’s, and that is even with a hole on their infield. He [Ramirez] would fill that by playing third and bumping Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base, though he’d also partner with Aaron Judge to again give the Yankees the best duo in the American League.”

Jose Ramirez is 32 years old but is still having another great season at the plate. He is slashing .319/.380/.535 with a 156 OPS+, 13 home runs, and 34 RBIs, and has single-handedly kept the Guardians’ offense afloat. The New York Yankees could use a switch-hitting bat at third base, as the platoon of players is fine but needs a major upgrade.

What Would It Take?

It would take quite a lot for the Guardians to part ways with Ramirez. However, now might be the perfect time. If the outlook in Cleveland isn’t great for the next few years, getting a return for an aging superstar is good business. More than likely, the Guardians will wait to see where they sit in a month. The Detroit Tigers will be tough to dethrone atop the division, but with three wild-card teams, the Guardians are in play right now.

However, if in a month, they continue their losing ways and lose ground in the wild card race. It might be a good idea to see what kind of return they could get. The New York Yankees will undoubtedly be one of the teams looking to add at the deadline.

Final Thoughts

When the league decided to expand the playoffs, it meant more teams would be buyers. The list of players available gets smaller, so teams can ask more. Supply and demand at its finest. It will be interesting to watch what both of these AL teams do in the next month ahead of the trade deadline.