Yankees Have Surprising New Trade Deadline Need

The New York Yankees figure to aggressively pursue both pitching and third base help ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, but another position has become an increasing concern for the club.

For years, the Yankees opted not to pursue a star shortstop in free agency due to the presence of hyped-up prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza in their farm system.

In particular, the organization was expected to make a run at Corey Seager when he hit the open market following the 2021 season, only to decide against doing so because they were confident either Volpe or Peraza would become their longterm starter at the position.

Fast-forward four years, and the outlook is rather bleak for both players. Peraza more or less hasn't been considered a major part of New York's future for several seasons now, as he's posted a .552 OPS in 419 major league plate appearances, making Volpe's trajectory far more disheartening.

Rated as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline before the 2023 campaign, which was his rookie season, Volpe was hailed as a future face of the franchise in the Bronx. He became the first Yankee to ever win the Gold Glove Award in their first big league season, and he'd post 3.5 fWAR during 2024 while helping the franchise win its first American League pennant in 15 years.

2025 has been a year chock-full of regression for Volpe, however, which is a troubling sign for New York. The 24-year-old was slashing .239/.319/.429 with six home runs, 33 RBIs and a 109 wRC+ through the end of May, but those numbers have regressed to .176/.236/.316 with four homers and -0.3 fWAR since June 1.

Even Volpe's defense, which was his defining trait and raised his floor, has taken a dip. After logging 14 Outs Above Average last season, he's posted -3 through 95 games so far this year while making countless mistakes in the field recently.