Yankees Pursuing Pirates All-Star Outfielder

While Cruz isn't putting up the best numbers of his career, slashing .219/ .319/ .419, he's a powerful hitter who has been setting records all season. Earlier this year, he recorded the hardest-hit ball of the Statcast era, measuring at 122.9 MPH. Cruz was invited to participate in the Home Run Derby over All-Star Week and hit a 513 foot home run, tying for longest hit homer during the derby (not including hits at Denver's Coors Field, where the elevation causes balls to fly much further.)

According to Hiles, the Pirates are not planning to trade Cruz this season, certainly to the dismay of teams interested in the Dominican heavy-hitter. However, it likely isn't off the table, as Cruz can be inconsistent both in the field and at the plate, and the Pirates may want to capitalize on his recent record-setting hits.

Cruz isn't the only Pirate the Yankees have been pursuing. Pittsburgh has quite a few players that fill big gaps for the Pinstripes. Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller, closer David Bednar and infielders Ke'Bryan Hayes and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have all been mentioned in conversations about the Yankees.

Third base and the bullpen are some of the Yankees' biggest needs, so it seems more likely they'd get Hayes or Bednar (or some combination including those players) before pursuing Cruz more aggressively. With stars like Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger in the outfield, the Yankees will presumably be focusing their efforts elsewhere, instead of making a landmark offer for Cruz, before the trade deadline on July 31.

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