Yankees Blockbuster? Why Deal For 2 Stars Makes Perfect Sense For New York
The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball, largely due to the MVP production coming from superstar Aaron Judge. But Judge isn't the only talent on this team. In fact, they're loaded with talent across the board except for two spots: the pitching rotation and third base.
The Yankees are facing injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. This trio of pitchers was expected to eat well over 400 or 500 innings coming into the year, but they won't get close to that.
The Yankees are also down a few players at third base. After losing Gleyber Torres to free agency and Oswaldo Cabrera to injury, the Bronx Bombers haven't found an everyday third baseman.
But the team could look to swing a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks to fill both roster holes in one deal.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 30: Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on from the mound with teammates Eugenio Suarez #28 and catcher Gabriel Moreno #14 prior to leaving a game against...
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 30: Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on from the mound with teammates Eugenio Suarez #28 and catcher Gabriel Moreno #14 prior to leaving a game against the New York Mets in the first inning at Citi Field on May 30, 2024 in New York City. MoreSlugger Eugenio Suárez is expected to be the best third baseman on the market this year. He's already eclipsed 30 home runs on the season and seems to be headed for 45 or 50 bombs by year's end. Adding him to a lineup with Judge would be nightmare fuel for pitchers.
Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly both make sense as trade targets for the Yankees, too. Both righties are on expiring contracts this season. Kelly has looked better than Gallen, but Gallen's ceiling is higher. If the Yankees are likely to pursue Suárez, it would make sense to go after a pitcher in the same trade.
This would be a blockbuster deal for the Bronx Bombers to make, but it could be the difference between losing the division and winning the World Series. These are upgrades that need to be made, and there's no better way to make them than this blockbuster deal.
More MLB: Red Sox Starter 'Will Be Sacrificed' Following $200 Million Alex Bregman Update
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Phillies owner John Middleton talks trade deadline: ‘You can't just trade everybody'
The Philadelphia Phillies want to win a World Series. The organization also wants fans to enjoy its teams five, 10 years from now. What could that mean for this season's rapidly approaching trade deadline? 'You can't just trade everybody and say, 'Well?'' Phillies principal owner John Middleton said. 'And, by the way, some players who you think we should be getting — they're not going to be available. Other players you want us to get, they're going to be available, and it's going to be an arm and a leg. And we're going to say no. Advertisement 'I mean, we had that problem last year with (Red Sox pitcher Garrett) Crochet at the trade deadline. We made a spectacularly good offer — so good that Dave (Dombrowski) looked at me at one point and said, 'I don't know that I should be doing this.'' Middleton, who spoke to reporters prior to Friday's game at Citizens Bank Park, was referring to what would've been a blockbuster trade for Crochet featuring top prospects Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford. It did not pan out. But the Phillies again will be aggressive at the deadline. The Athletic has reported that most everyone other than Andrew Painter could be available for the right offer. Yes, Middleton said, the Phillies are thinking about some of their top players being in the back half of their careers. But others are just at the beginning. There's a balance that's required, he said. Middleton also recalled the Phillies' deadline efforts from 2009-2011, including acquiring Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez in 2009, Roy Oswalt in 2010 and Hunter Pence after the 2010 season. 'Every move (Ruben Amaro Jr.) made, it was an A-plus move,' Middleton said. Every player that he brought in performed at a very high level, and we still lost. Not only do we not win the World Series, but we exited every year one round earlier than the year before. So, if you kind of empty the cupboard, you can do everything right and you still don't win.' The Phillies are expected to target bullpen upgrades at the deadline. But what the organization has noted since top reliever José Alvarado's PED suspension and postseason ban is how different a bullpen can look in the postseason with fewer starting pitchers required. That could mean Jesús Luzardo, who has had an up-and-down season, could potentially join the bullpen come October. And, per Middleton, so could top Triple-A pitchers Mick Abel and Painter. Advertisement 'I could see Abel coming back up if he's not up before that for some other reason,' Middleton said. 'I could see Abel in the bullpen, coming out at 97 mph with a really good curveball. Painter might be up here the same way. So, you never know.' The trade deadline is most pressing. But re-signing All-Star Game MVP Kyle Schwarber, in the final year of his four-year contract with the Phillies, is also top of mind. 'There's nothing Kyle does that surprises us, no matter how great he is,' Middleton said. 'You expect that from Kyle. And he's a great person in the dugout. He's a great person in the clubhouse. We love him. We want to keep him. We don't need any motivation whatsoever.' Come the next few weeks, Dombrowski will steer the ship. And he's an executive who is 'always aggressive,' Middleton said. 'He doesn't have another gear besides aggressive.'
New York Post
23 minutes ago
- New York Post
All-Star break offers Yankees little reprieve as Max Fried, Cam Schlittler questions linger
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free ATLANTA – Fresh off a four-day All-Star break, the Yankees' rotation to begin the second half has become a popular GIF brought to life. The dog sitting at a table, saying, 'This is fine,' with flames all around him? That was the state of the Yankees' pitching plans as of Friday. It may end up being fine, but in the interim, the Yankees opened a series against the Braves on Friday with a bullpen game while crossing their fingers that Max Fried and Cam Schlittler will both be able to pitch in their next series against the Blue Jays. Originally, once Fried decided not to pitch in the All-Star Game, he was likely going to start Friday against his old teammates in his first trip back to Truist Park. 5 Max Fried of the New York Yankees reacts reacts on the mound during the third inning. Jason Szenes / New York Post But then he left last Saturday's start with a blister on his left index finger. The left-hander has seen considerable improvements since then, he said Friday, but the Yankees wanted to give him a few extra days to make sure it is fully healed so it won't pop up again. So then Schlittler became the Yankees' likely starter on Friday, until he experienced 'upper-arm soreness' earlier this week, manager Aaron Boone said. The Yankees sent the rookie for an MRI and put him through tests, all of which came back clean. 5 New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler throws a pitch to the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx. JASON SZENES/NY POST But it was enough to push him back a few days. Like Fried, they hope to have him pitch against the Blue Jays in the series that runs Monday through Wednesday. Since the Yankees still wanted Will Warren to pitch on his sixth day Saturday, Marcus Stroman had already thrown a bullpen in preparation for his Sunday start and Carlos Rodón just pitched an inning in Tuesday's All-Star Game (lining him up to start Monday), leaving them starting reliever Ian Hamilton on Friday night. 5 Max Fried of the New York Yankees reacts as he walks back to the dugout after ending the second inning at Citi Field on Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST 'Hoping that with Cam and Max, it's just short-term things where we move them in the rotation and hopefully fine moving forward,' Boone said. 'We should be in a situation after [Friday] where hopefully our five guys are making their turns.' Even if that proves to be the case, the tenuous state of the rotation this week only emphasizes the need for the Yankees to add a starter by the July 31 trade deadline. Luis Gil is on his way back from a lat strain, making a second rehab start Friday night and likely needing one or two more after that before he returns, but Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt are not walking through that door because of Tommy John surgery. 5 New York Yankees Luis Gil (81) throws from the mound for practice before the game when the New York Yankees played the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post Schlittler had made his MLB debut last Wednesday in place of Schmidt, lighting up the radar gun while throwing 5 1/3 innings and giving up three runs in a win over the Mariners. Boone said he recovered from that without issue before the upper-arm discomfort popped up on Tuesday. 'We think he's fine,' Boone said. 'He should be good to go. But it forced us to push him back. So then we're in a little bit of a tough spot. I'm hoping to slot him back in in the Toronto series.' 5 American League manager Aaron Boone (17) of the New York Yankees before the 2025 MLB All Star Game at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images For Fried, not being able to pitch this weekend was a disappointing development after spending the first eight years of his big league career here. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS 'It's something I was looking forward to,' he said. 'Missing that opportunity to be able to pitch was definitely frustrating, but we've got the rest of the season to worry about. I want to make sure I'm ready to go and this doesn't keep lingering.' In that regard, Fried said the blister was 'really good' and 'progressing well.' He never stopped playing catch since his last start on Saturday, but had yet to throw a bullpen, which will be the next box to check off. 'Mostly it's trying to make sure the skin heals, first and foremost,' Fried said. 'Trying to get it to be looking like a normal finger. On top of that, just trying to make sure the skin is a little bit calloused, a little bit tougher rather than just being soft. 'Especially with it being hot and my skin getting a little softer, it's more susceptible to ripping. Just trying to stay on top of that and keeping the skin hard and calloused.'
Fox Sports
23 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be backup center amid speculation over NBA future
Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A backup plan to bring in a backup center to spell Nikola Jokic no longer appears necessary. The Denver Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be with the team when the season starts amid speculation over his NBA future. Denver's trade with Sacramento to acquire the 6-foot-11 Valanciunas for Dario Saric became official last weekend. Leading up that, reports emerged of Valanciunas being courted by the Greek EuroLeague club team, Panathinaikos. It's led to a confusing situation given that Valanciunas still has two years remaining on his NBA deal that would pay him a total of more than $20 million. Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer attempted to tamp down any conjecture over Valanciunas' arrival during a news conference Friday that was set up to introduce Cam Johnson. 'There's been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,' Tenzer said of Valanciunas. So, no concerns that Valanciunas might not be with the Nuggets to start the season? 'No concerns,' Tenzer said. The trade for the 33-year-old Valanciunas looks to be the icing on a productive offseason that saw the front-office tandem of Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace remodel the team. The moves were in the wake of a Game 7 loss to NBA champion Oklahoma City in the second round. The Nuggets also picked up Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. — a key contributor to their title run in 2023 — to Brooklyn. Denver added Bruce Brown, who was part of their championship run, and shooting guard/small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. Tenzer said they've have had productive talks with Valanciunas, who's slated to play for Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket this summer. Someone from the Nuggets may even venture over there. 'Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,' Wallace explained. "We'll approach it at that time.' Valanciunas is coming off a season in which he split time between Washington and Sacramento. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and two assists over 81 games. Denver is counting on him to give Jokic the occasional breather. The 30-year-old Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season. A three-time NBA MVP, Jokic turned in a historic season where became the first NBA center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. His vision and feel for the game could take Johnson's performance to another level. Johnson averaged 18.8 points for the Nets last season. 'His best ability is just understanding where he is in space and where his teammates are in space at all times,' Johnson said of Jokic. 'I find a spot, and there's a high chance that he's going to put the pass on time, on target.' As for where Johnson might live in the Mile High city, he and Porter have chatted about possibly swapping houses. 'I don't know if it will happen, but it's being discussed right now,' Johnson said. 'Obviously, when you get traded, everything's flying around, everything's moving. As the next couple of weeks wind down, we'll start to become a little bit more established in our new markets and figure all that stuff out.' He's already received a warm welcome — and not even in Denver, either. While the former Phoenix Suns forward was having breakfast in Arizona, a table of Nuggets fans recognized him and wished him luck. 'The reception has been incredible,' Johnson said. 'It has been really positive for me. Just a chance at winning is something that I really relish and something that I'll do everything in my power to contribute to.' ___ AP NBA: recommended Item 1 of 3
