The New York Yankees are looking to bolster their offense ahead of the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline on Monday.
New York acquired Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals to add more thump to the lineup. The first baseman/DH is a curious fit, but the bat is much-needed. Yet, the Yankees aren’t done, as New York still could look to upgrade its roster elsewhere.
Ahead of the 6 p.m. deadline, San Francisco Giants insider Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle revealed the Yankees have been scouting slugging outfielder Heliot Ramos.
“Others who could go via trade include outfielder Heliot Ramos, scouted for more than two weeks by teams such as the Yankees and Phillies,” Slusser wrote.
Ramos is hitting .264 with 9 home runs and 34 RBIs this season, but his career-high is 22 home runs and 72 RBIs. Ramos is a right-handed hitter that the Yankees need and could fill in the outfield while Cody Bellinger is injured and be an upgrade over Jasson Dominguez/Spencer Jones.
The 26-year-old has three more years of team control, so the price to acquire Ramos would be hefty. However, he would fit in nicely with the Yankees for years to come.
Yankees Acquire Garcia Jr.
New York’s first big move of the deadline period was acquiring Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals.
Garcia is a left-handed hitting first baseman, but he mashes, which manager Aaron Boone is pleased about.
“He rakes,” Boone said. … “He’s been a hitter that’s really come of age this year. Really, [García is] one of the best left-versus-right hitters in the National League this year. We think he fits our ballpark very well and should help. Hopefully he’ll give a little jolt to our offense, which has obviously scuffled here a little bit over an extended period. So we’re excited about him, hear great things about him, and can’t wait to see him impact our lineup.”
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, was eager to see New York add him to the lineup and roster.
“He seems to be a really good hitter when we face them,” Cole said. “Obviously, if we like him, we think he’s a good player. So I’m on board with that.”
The Yankees acquired Garcia Jr. for right-handers Yovanny Cruz, Jake Bird, Jack Cebert — the Yankees’ No. 14 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — and Ben Grable, the organization’s No. 25 prospect.
New York Expected to Add
The Yankees are chasing down the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot in the AL East.
With the AL wide open, the Yankees should be a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline. New York has plenty of assets to trade and some holes to fill.
Cole is eager about that, as he said that’s the positive of playing for the Yankees, as they are always looking to add to their roster.
“It’s one of the blessings about playing for the Yankees,” Cole said in Chicago. “The organization is always pushing forward and doing their best to improve the team whenever they get the opportunity to. As a Yankee player, it’s a beautiful position to be in. You can just trust what the organization has done over the years.”
The Yankees are 63-49 and 2.5 games back of the Rays.
Yankees Reportedly Scouting 22-Home Run Slugging Outfielder After Garcia Jr. Trade