Yankees Shouldn't Upgrade their Infield Through Trades

Deadline moves

The thought could be that they should be doing what they can to upgrade their infield through trades as the Yankees get closer to the summer, but the biggest concern is the bullpen. It's not close, either. It's hard to imagine that having Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz set up for closer David Bednar is a recipe for long-term success.

Unless it's a situation where the Yankees can add someone for next to no prospect capital, as they did when they traded for Edwin Encarnacion in 2019, they should figure out the infield internally. Casting off one of their top arms in the system for a big bat at this point wouldn't change much in their quest to win another World Series.

The Yankees are already expecting little from McMahon and Volpe, and are one of the best offenses. If the infield ends up being Amed Rosario or José Caballero at third, with the young George Lombard Jr. at short, it wouldn't be much different than what they could get offensively from the duo of Volpe and McMahon.

The big hole is the bullpen. There currently isn't an answer on the roster to fix it, unless they dig into their minor league depth and add some of their power arms, like Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodriguez. Even Ryan Weathers could be of some help.

The issue with that plan is the Yankees probably want those three to drive up their innings this season. Sending them to the bullpen so early could stunt their development, and they probably don't want to use the next year to build them up.

Potentially the biggest fish

Any prospect depth they have should be used to acquire an arm like Jhoan Duran. Right now, the Philadelphia Phillies are one of the worst teams in the sport, and if they continue to struggle, Duran could be a name they acquire at the deadline.

With Duran, they could slot him in as a closer and move Bednar to a setup role. You can't go wrong with either one, as long as they're getting the ball in the 8th and 9th innings.

Duran went for a high price last season, with the Phillies trading their top prospects, Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. While he may not command that price this season, he is still under control for another year. Add in the fact that there may not be a season next year with the threat of a potential lockout, and that could drive down his price a little. Whatever the price the Yankees would have to pay for somebody like that would be worth it, though.

They have a solid rotation and lineup. Bolstering that bullpen should set them apart from the rest of the pack in a big way.