Three trade-deadline targets who can land Yankees back in World Series

It isn’t clear how busy the New York Yankees’ trade deadline will be — general manager Brian Cashman said as much last week.

“I definitely will look to see if I can find a [starting pitcher], despite getting some real quality starts from others who have stepped up,” he said. “Certainly, you would love to import a starter, some relievers, because our bullpen has obviously been taxed and some injuries. And, yeah, an infielder as well, if possible.

“But that’s a long list, and I’m not sure this will be a deep deadline or not. So, I don’t know how active we can be. But we will try to be active.”

The Yankees are once more the victim of an extensive injured list, which has left them in a rather desperate position. 

New York's bullpen owns a 4.08 ERA on the season, placing them 20th in the league. 

The starting rotation is in shambles, having lost Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery, in addition to Luis Gil’s absence due to a lat strain and Max Fried’s uncertain outlook with a blister; the situation couldn’t get much more dire. 

On the infield, Oswaldo Cabrera’s ankle injury and DJ LeMahieu being designated for assignment have left third base in the hands of Oswald Peraza, who is hitting just .149. And while the outlook at the deadline is unclear, Cashman has his playbook ready:

“We’re going to town. We’re going to do everything we possibly can to improve ourselves and try to match up, and hopefully at the end of it all, we’ll have whatever is here on this current roster remaining healthy, and we’ll add to it and be proud of that and take our shot.”

The “going to town” remark is certainly encouraging, but what replacements on the market can lead the Yankees back to the World Series? Here are three solid bets:

Seth Lugo, RHP, Kansas City Royals

Last season, Lugo finished second in the American League Cy Young race, 15th in the AL MVP voting and won his first Gold Glove. The Royals’ ace was an effective workhorse, posting a 3.00 ERA and striking out 181 over 206.2 innings.

And in 2025, Lugo has not slowed down. Across 101 innings this season, he owns a 2.67 ERA with 88 strikeouts. The key to his effectiveness is his vast arsenal, having thrown 10 different pitches this year.

At 4.5 games back in the AL wild-card race, Kansas City isn't entirely out of the postseason picture yet. With a player option on his contract for next season, there’s no guarantee that Lugo will stick around. If the Yankees can land him, he’ll fit nicely between Fried and Carlos Rodón.

Dennis Santana, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Santana was a Yankee as recently as last year. After pitching to a 6.26 ERA in 23 appearances, New York decided it had had enough. It was the same story with every other team Santana had bounced to. Since the Pirates claimed him off waivers from the Yankees in June 2024, though, something changed drastically.

Santana pitched to a 2.44 ERA in his first 39 games with Pittsburgh. In 2025, he's been even better, boasting a 1.56 ERA through 40.1 innings. Although Santana has only struck out 29 batters, he has allowed minimal hard-hit balls and walks, which has been critical to his success. Should New York swing a reunion, he could make an astounding difference in their beleaguered, injury-riddled relief corps.

Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

In his walk year, Suárez has already been connected to the Yankees, and is currently hitting .250/.320/.569 with 31 home runs. His 78 RBI are the most in the NL, and he has yet to play a full season where he hits fewer than 21 homers. Hitting behind MLB’s on-base leader, Aaron Judge, Suárez could work wonders in the Bronx.

Third base has been a blight on New York’s offense all year. In his remarks, Cashman sort of sidestepped third base as a priority. However, if the Yankees are going to survive in the postseason, third base is one area that needs to be fortified.