Yankees Linked to Guardians All-Star Trade

It's not often that you see star players under control on a team-friendly contract get dealt at the trade deadline, especially when they're on a playoff contender, but perhaps the New York Yankees have the requisite pull to make a move of that caliber.

While running through the "dream landing spots" of several pricey stars following the Rafael Devers trade, which sent shockwaves around the league, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer linked Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez to the Yankees.

"Ramírez, 32, is another guy with full no-trade protection, and thus another guy who will go anywhere only if he wants to," he wrote.

"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 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."

New York is plenty familiar with Ramírez, as he's been a stalwart in Cleveland for over a decade. He's hit a remarkable .332 with 13 home runs in 67 regular season games against the Bronx Bombers while also owning a .273 average to go alongside a homer and nine RBIs in 17 playoff bouts.

Ramírez, who is building a Hall of Fame-worthy resume, has posted the most fWAR of any third baseman since the beginning of the 2015 season at 53.5. Furthermore, he's slashed .281/.354/.505 with 268 home runs in 1,523 career contests.

He's currently in the fourth season of a four-year, $171 million extension that he signed ahead of the 2022 campaign, which is the largest contract in Guardians history.

Considering Ramírez is a perennial All-Star who has finished inside the top-10 in MVP voting six of the last seven years, he wouldn't come cheap for the Yankees.

New York doesn't have to worry about what it would take to pry him away from Cleveland, however, because there's almost zero chance Ramírez will become available.

He has a no-trade clause, like Rymer noted, and he sure seems happy to be a Guardian. Furthermore, the organization would lose a ton of goodwill by dealing away one of the best players in franchise history.

Furthermore, Cleveland has made the playoffs in six of the last nine seasons and are just a game-and-a-half back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League with a 37-37 record. The club has a track record of success with Ramírez on the roster, and there's no reason for them to move on from him.

The Yankees' need at third base has been well-documented, but they'll have to look beyond the Guardians for a solution at the position.

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