Yankees Trade Proposal Swaps Ex-Top Prospect for $5.5 Million Closer

Getty After a disappointing 2023 season, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has been making roster changes.

The New York Yankees have made several roster upgrades after a disappointing 2023 season, but questions remain about how their bullpen might look on Opening Day.

Jordan Shusterman, an MLB analyst for Fox Sports, proposed a trade that could answer that by seeing the Yankees swap shortstop Oswald Peraza, a top-100 prospect in all of MLB last year, for the Miami Marlins’ Tanner Scott, a left-handed reliever with seven years of big-league experience under his belt.

“Scott … was one of baseball’s best relievers last year, but he is also slated to hit free agency after this upcoming season,” Shusterman noted. “If the Yankees are done spending on their rotation but still want to upgrade the pitching staff in an impactful way, maybe they can dangle Peraza as a potential long-term shortstop solution for the Fightin’ Fish in exchange for Scott.”

Schusterman added that the move would make sense for both sides as Peraza will struggle to break into the Yankees’ lineup following New York’s acquisition of the highly-touted Jorbit Vivas. Meanwhile, the Marlins have left-handed relievers A.J. Puk and Andrew Nardi to backstop the loss of Scott.

New York Yankees Can Swap Some Prospect Depth for Needed Help in the Bullpen

Peraza had some issues in 173 at bats in the Show last season, slashing .191/.267/.272, and a change of scenery might be good for him. 

“Peraza was a consensus top-100 prospect whose strong glove and contact skills formed a promising profile that projected to pair well in the Yankees infield alongside the more-hyped Anthony Volpe,” per Shusterman. “Though he undeniably struggled at the big-league level as a rookie in uneven intervals in the Bronx, there’s still real talent here that shouldn’t be cast aside.”

The Marlins currently project to have Jon Berti as the everyday shortstop, a veteran utility player who shouldn’t stand in the way of Peraza’s playing time if he earns it.

“If Miami evaluates Peraza as a potential starting shortstop the way much of the industry did not that long ago, this could certainly be a match,” Shusterman concluded.

New York Yankees Bullpen Options Are Drying Up

The Yankees had an excellent relief corps in 2023, maintaining an MLB-best 3.34 ERA. But key contributors Wandy Peralta and Keynan Middleton have been picked up by National League teams and numerous targets, including Phil Maton and Héctor Neris, are no longer available.

“The Yankees’ door to upgrade their bullpen via free agency is closing fast as relievers continue to fly off the shelves,” Max Goodman reported for NJ.com.

As a result, one of the team’s remaining moves in the rapidly-closing offseason could be to acquire a pitcher like Scott — who is estimated to receive $5.5 million in 2024, per Sportrac — via trade.

In 296.2 total career innings, Scott has a 4.00 ERA, 33 saves and 402 strikeouts. But in the last two seasons, he emerged as a reliable closer for the Marlins, with a 2.31 ERA mark and 12 saves in 78 innings in 2023.

If he maintains that trend, Scott is the kind of under-the-radar relief pitcher that the Yankees have favored in recent history and he might be a better “win-now” fit for the team than Peraza.