Yankees’ perfect trade offer for Twins’ Royce Lewis

While the New York Yankees juggle injuries, they may be casting their trade eyes on a hitter who has struggled this season. And here is the Yankees’ perfect offer for Twins infielder Royce Lewis.

The Yankees own the best record in the American League, heading into Monday’s games. But their division edge over the second-place Rays is only two games. And with injuries creeping heavily into the equation, the Yankees might be pressed to make a trade for Lewis.

What would Lewis bring to the Yankees?

Versatility is one helpful thing. Lewis has played multiple positions during his five-year MLB career. Most of his games (232) have been at third base. But he has also seen time at first base (13 games), shortstop (12), second base (4), and center field (1).

One reason Lewis might be appealing is that the Yankees have some unsettled things in their lineup. And when — if — Giancarlo Stanton returns, he will clog up the designated hitter spot.

However, would Lewis be a valuable addition? The 27-year-old Lewis appeared in 12, 58, 82, and 106 games over his first four MLB seasons. He hasn’t been able to stay on the field. This year, he has played in 45 games, missing time with an injury. Also, he got demoted to Triple-A St. Paul.

A concerning factor about Lewis is his offensive decline. He posted an on-base percentage of .295 and .283 in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This year, he stands at .289. That’s not very good unless the batter is knocking the ball out of the park a lot. But Lewis has just seven homers in 158 at-bats.

Clearly, he has power potential. But his career high in big flies is only 16. Granted, those homers came in just 292 at-bats in 2024.

But the biggest question right now about Lewis is his health, according to The Athletic, where he was chosen as a top-10 under-the-radar trade target, according to The Athletic.

“The only question is: Can he stay healthy?” Jim Bowden wrote. “He’s healthy now, and several contending teams are looking to upgrade at third base. And he can also play first base, so he may get moved. Lewis is still only 27. And although he struggled early in the season and was even optioned to the minors, he’s rebounded, hitting extremely well during his time in Triple A and continuing to mash after returning to the big leagues.”

What would the Yankees’ perfect offer be?

The Twins can’t expect a trade fortune for Lewis. Therefore, the Yankees can scroll pretty far down on their top prospects list. And they might be able to get the trade done with this duo of right-handed pitchers: Eric Reyzelman and Tony Rossi.

Reyzelman is 24 years old and ready to make the jump this year, according to MLB.com.

“When he was rolling two years ago, Reyzelman paired a 94-97 mph fastball that hit 99 and featured good carry with a tight low-80s slider with significant horizontal action,” MLB.com wrote. “In 2025, his heater dropped 2 mph and lost life, while his sweeper lost 4 mph and often didn’t come close to the strike zone. He had an effective low-80s changeup with huge fade in 2024. But it became so unreliable that he abandoned it last season.

“Reyzelman works solely out of the stretch and uses a three-quarters arm slot to create a low release height and wide angle that’s tough on right-handers. He struggled to keep his mechanics in sync last year, when his walk rate spiked to 22 percent from 12 percent the season before.”

As for Rossi, he has an intriguing slider, according to MLB.com.

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/yankees/tony-rossi-702036

“Rossi’s slider tore up hitters at two Class A levels with its combination of mid-80s velocity and huge sweep, producing an elite 52 percent swing-and-miss rate,” MLB.com wrote. “His fastball works in the mid-90s and maxes out at 98 mph with armside run. He works east and west with his heater and slider, then can drop an upper-80s splitter through the bottom of the zone.

“A physical 6-foot-3, 230-pounder, Rossi combines a low release height and extension to provide deception. He can’t always maintain his delivery and has little history of providing consistent strikes. If he can develop decent control, he certainly has the stuff to find a bullpen role in the big leagues.”

These wouldn’t be premier additions for the Twins. But that’s probably the best they could get for Lewis.