Should the Yankees go after this switch-hitting infielder at the deadline?
The switch-hitting third baseman has mashed with the Angels, posting a 122 wRC+ with seven home runs in 36 games, but his defense at third base has been brutal.
With -8 DRS and -6 OAA, the Yankees would have to stomach some deplorable defensive play with the bat, but as a rental Brian Cashman could acquire him for cheap.
A low-cost risk, it would improve the team's situation at third base, but should New York be interested in landing someone with some real flaws?
Is Yoan Moncada A Viable Upgrade for the Yankees?
Yoan Moncada has a swing that's perfect for Yankee Stadium thanks to his pull-side power when hitting left-handed, holding a 28% Pull AIR rate on the season.
The Yankees have the infamous short porch in right field, and Moncada immediately serves as a six or seven hitter in an offense against right-handed pitching.
Signed to a cheap $5 million deal, New York would be on the hook for less than $2.5 million towards the Luxury Tax by acquiring him, with zero money committed beyond the 2025 season.
Still, there are flaws that the Yankees would have to seriously consider when acquiring a hitter such as Moncada.
READ MORE:
This season Yoan Moncada is hitting .105 with a 10 wRC+ vs LHP, an issue considering the Yankees would like to add a hitter who can perform as a right-handed bat as well.
Moncada has had some success against southpaws before, but the recent power outage in those matchups would be a massive red flag.
Furthermore, the Cuban-born infielder has massive injury concerns and has constantly been on the injured list, including an extended stay there this past season.
The defense is a very real problem has well; he has been unplayable at the hot corner after having solid defensive production at third base throughout his career.
If other options don't end up with New York, perhaps this is a player who can at least be an upgrade over Oswald Peraza, but the Yankees should have options ahead of him on the depth chart.
Related Headlines
Yankees' blockbuster deadline deals could include front-line starter and elite power bat
The Yankees are keeping their eyes on All-Star closer at the deadline
Mets are reportedly 'frontrunners' in race for Pirates star pitcher
Knicks 88, Pacers 91: Good news and bad news as comeback effort falls short
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Mike Brown's first Knicks season will answer one big question
Yahoo Sports fantasy basketball analyst Dan Titus and NBA writer Dan Devine discuss how New York's new head coach will adjust the team's playing style this coming season and whether the current roster will be ready to adjust. Hear the full conversation on 'Good Word with Goodwill' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript How much pressure do you see on Mike Brown right now? Do you think he's the right man for the job to potentially take the Knicks to the promised land? Mike Brown is under pressure because the bar that we've set is, if you make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, you could still get fired. The Tom Thibodeaux situation is emblematic of the windows are so small and so short, it's opened for such a short period of time, and it's getting narrower and shorter every year, it seems like. And I think the message of 'we're moving on from Tom Thibodeau' is like it's not, that's not a move that you make as an organization if you feel like you're where you are supposed to be. It's a move you make if you feel like you've got a championship roster that isn't being maximized. Mike Brown is, I think, an interesting kind of needle-thread choice because this is somebody who is capable of being conversant in a number of different styles, can bring you a lot of the same, we do not compromise on our defensive principles, period. Kind of you know, hard assery, for lack of a better term, of Tom Thibodeaux, but has shown a willingness to be more flexible, to go deeper into his rotation, to say, I'm gonna take the talent that I've gotten and I'm gonna institute more ball movement, more player movement, more fluidity, more motion, and not just have it be station-to- station basketball where everybody's watching one guy cook. We're gonna find out if the Knicks' more stagnant approach was coaching oriented or star oriented. And I think that's gonna be pretty interesting to find out because we know that Mike Brown, given his druthers, wants to play more passing, more movement, faster into your sets, across half court earlier, get into your actions with, you know, more time on the shot clock, be able to go deeper and spread the floor, all those sorts of things. Now we're gonna find out if Jalen Brunson wants to play that way, and I think he's capable of it. I think guys like Josh Hart and McHale Bridges and maybe a larger role for McHale Bridges. Towns, if he's not sort of minimized as a spacer, all these sorts, like there's opportunities for higher-end offensive creation there, but it's got to come from the top down. And I think if Jalen Brunson shows that he's willing to buy into that, uh, the, the sky could be the limit for the next offense under Mike Brown. Close
New York Post
27 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
27 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Texas Rangers add veteran 1B Rowdy Tellez to their roster after All-Star break
Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Veteran first baseman Rowdy Tellez was added to the Texas Rangers roster and was in the lineup Friday night for their first game after the All-Star break. There was no corresponding move necessary before their game against Detroit because the Rangers had an open spot on their 26-man active roster, and their 40-man roster. First baseman Jake Burger was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday because of a left quad strain. The Rangers also Friday put outfielder Sam Haggerty on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Tuesday, with left ankle inflammation. They selected Cody Freeman, a fourth-round draft pick in 2019, from Triple-A Round Rock and he was looking to make his big league debut. He was hitting .315 with 12 homers in the minors. Texas is the fifth big league team for the 30-year-old Tellez. He signed with Seattle as a free agent in February, then hit .208 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 62 games before being designated for assignment and then released by the Mariners. He signed a minor league deal with Texas on July 5 and had been at Round Rock. 'They called me up, and try to make an impact in a positive way,' Tellez said. Tellez has a .232 average with 116 homers and 346 RBIs since his big league debut with Toronto in 2018. He has also played for Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. Burger, acquired in a trade from Miami in December, has hit .228 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs in 75 games. He is on the IL for the second time this season. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3
