Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor

So you're saying there's a chance? The New York Yankees are among several clubs waiting to see what the Minnesota Twins will do ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

If they go into sell-mode, the Twins have a number of players who could be attractive to playoff contenders like the Yankees. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, one trade chip could be former Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader.

"A free agent-to-be having a strong year (109 OPS-plus, 11 homers, eight steals, familiar strong defense)," Sherman wrote Tuesday. "He already has played for both New York squads. Do the Yankees feel they need a righty-hitting complement for Jasson Domínguez?"

The Yankees acquired Bader from the Cardinals in the deal which sent left-hander Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis ahead of the trade deadline in 2022. He lasted a little more than one calendar year in the Bronx with the Yankees waiving him in August 2023.

Bader played in a total of 98 games for the Yankees, hitting .237 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs. He finished the 2023 season with the Cincinnati Reds. The former Gold Glove Award winner played for the New York Mets in 2024.

He made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Cardinals and finished sixth in voting for the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year.

But trading for Bader won't be so easy. Twins president Derek Falvey joined the New York Post podcast "The Show" Tuesday and made it clear Minnesota won't be steamrolled ahead of the trade deadline.

"Our job is to listen to everything," Falvey said. "The goal is to make the Minnesota Twins better, right? And ultimately, whether that means short term, long term, depends on where you are sometimes at the deadline.

"So it’s never about how we feel about them. We love every player we have in the clubhouse. We love every guy we’ve added, whether it’s the guys we just added this year or guys we’ve had for a long time," Falvey added.

"But rumors we can’t control and conversations we have to have," Falvey continued. "Many times those conversations about some of the players you’re talking about, even if you don’t agree that that’s the player you’re going to trade, it may spill off into a subsequent conversation that could really help you in a different way.

"So I think we need to stay open to creativity, think about all the players that are on our roster and then try and make the best decisions we can going into the deadline to try and put ourselves in the best spot, whether it’s for this year, but certainly for this year and beyond," Falvey concluded.

As for Dominguez, Sherman does have a point. The 22-year-old is hitting .195 against left-handed pitching and .296 against right-handers. He has an OPS of .572 vs. southpaws and .841 vs. right-handed pitching.

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