Yankees Named Landing Spot for Former No. 1 Prospect

If the New York Yankees go the less flashy route and look to make more of a shrewd move to address their need at third base once the trade deadline comes around, a former top prospect could be their guy.

Pinstripes Nation's Sara Molnick identified Yoán Moncada of the Los Angeles Angels as a player the Yankees could target, citing his production so far this season as a reason why he may be an appealing addition for the club while also noting the 30-year-old's durability concerns.

"Moncada has shown flashes of his potential, with a .237 average, 6 home runs, and 19 RBIs," Molnick wrote. "Currently on the injured list with right knee inflammation, his health status will be a key factor in any trade considerations."

Moncada was placed on the 10-day IL on June 2, and updates have been sparse regarding a potential return date.

He began his professional career as a minor leaguer for the Boston Red Sox after signing as an international free agent from Cuba in February 2015.

Baseball America (No. 3), MLB Pipeline (No. 7) and Baseball Prospectus (No. 7) all rated Moncada as a top-10 prospect in the sport heading into the 2016 campaign, and he was later traded to the Chicago White Sox as the headliner in a move that sent Chris Sale to the Red Sox in December of that year.

The switch-hitter established himself as one of the league's top third baseman from 2017 to 2021, slashing .261/.347/.440 with 70 home runs, 247 RBIs and 12.7 bWAR over 531 games during that stretch.

He appeared in just 208 contests from 2022 to 2024 with a .678 OPS while dealing with a long list of injuries, however, leading the White Sox to decline his $25 million club option back in November.

Moncada proceeded to sign a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Angels, and he's bounced back to the tune of an .841 OPS over 113 plate appearances.

He's a rather poor defender at the hot corner, logging -3 Defensive Runs Saved and -2 Outs Above Average across 232 innings this season, but his bat helps cover up that deficiency.

Moncada isn't a perfect player by any means, but he wouldn't cost much in terms of prospect capital considering he's a pure rental. There's plenty of upside from an offensive perspective as well, and there's no reason the Yankees shouldn't at least inquire with Los Angeles about what it would take to land him.

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