Should the New York Yankees Already Have Their Sights Set on MLB Trade Deadline?

The New York Yankees have had an enormously difficult spring when it comes to injuries, with six players likely to start the season on the Injured List, they are in a tough spot before Opening Day has even arrived. Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, JT Brubaker, Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt will all enter the 2025 season with injuries to their names.

This leaves the team with a heavily altered lineup and rotation compared to what was anticipated, and while some things have resulted in positives such as the signing of Carlos Carrasco, ultimately the team is extremely short on quality depth.

So, should they be looking ahead to the MLB trade deadline as their savior already? Or will they be ok with the current roster as they wait out some of the less severe injuries?

The difficulty that arises with the current team is that while they may be able to ride the storm out until the trade deadline, odds are this roster, as constructed, will not go extremely far in the playoffs. One more injury to a pitcher would make things very ugly, as the starters are already stretched thin as-is, and the bullpen, while improved, is still not necessarily the strength of the team.

The other concern may end up being the outfield defense, as Jasson Domínguez has not proven much there yet, and Aaron Judge was seventh percentile in outs above average last season with negative six. Thankfully Cody Bellinger is an average to above-average outfielder defensively, so one position should be anchored.

With that said, there are likely to be quite a few trade options when it comes to the 2025 trade deadline, as there are some teams certainly in the midst of rebuilding years, and will end up selling some pieces this year.

If the pitching is still struggling, one of the best options if available could be pitcher Erick Fedde of the St. Louis Cardinals. With the Cardinals selling off talent left and right, odds are the veteran starter may be next, who has proven to be a quality piece for a few seasons now. With a 3.30 ERA, 1.162 WHIP, and 154 strikeouts to 52 walks in 2024, Fedde could be the man for the job when it comes to adding a high-level replacement for Gerrit Cole.

The outfield options are a little less prominent, with Taylor Ward of the Los Angeles Angels likely being the best available barring something drastic changing. Ward would be exactly the defensive piece New York needs to solidify their outfield, as he would sit in the 84th percentile of outs above average in 2024 with three, and his offensive production is strong enough to make him a high-end player.

Overall, while the Yankees should maybe not already be looking at the first half as a loss, they should be considering their options when it comes to possible trade candidates, as they may finally be able to splurge a little bit at the deadline to really shore up their lineup.