Getty Yankees trade targets are many, but would Vladimir Guerrero really be one?
The Yankees are falling fast in the American League playoff race, and it with the MLB trade deadline looming, it could be time to force through some deals that might have otherwise seemed unlikely, to say the least. The Blue Jays would, naturally, be reluctant to give up a star slugger to the division-rival Yankees and, of course, that star slugger—Vladimir Guerrero—has previously declared his hatred of all things Pinstripes.
But panic buttons should be pressed here, with the Yankees having lost four of their last five and with a 50-22 start now seeming to be a distant memory in the cold light of the last 32 games, in which the Yankees have lost the same number (22) while winning one-fifth of that total (10).
With that in mind, ESPN is proposing that the Blue Jays suck it up and trade Guerrero to New York for a package of top prospects, presumably including No. 2 prospect Spencer Jones.
Vladimir Guerrero Once Vowed Not to Join NYY
In an article titled, “2024 MLB trade deadline: The deals we’d like to see,” writer Bradford Doolittle says that one of those deals is Guerrero joining the Yankees outfield. Doolittle acknowledges that Guerrero previously said, two years ago in a Spanish-language interview, “I like to play in New York, I like to kill the Yankees. I would never sign with the Yankees, not even dead.”
But, hey, water under the bridge.
“The Bombers need help on the infield corners and the idea of a lineup that cycles through Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Guerrero four or five times a game would be something to behold,” Doolittle wrote.
“And then there’s the perverse aspect of this notion: Guerrero said that he’d never sign with the Yankees — “not even dead,” which doesn’t precisely make sense but you get where he’s coming from. (Though, he did soften that stance back in June.) Anyway, I don’t know whether the Yankees have the goods to entice the Jays to trade their star player to this particular division rival, but I love the narrative aspect of the idea. It’s a form of hate watching.”
Guerrero would be a major addition for the Yankees. He is a four-time All-Star and one of the most durable players in the game. This season, he has a slash line of .296 with a .365 on-base percentage and a .487 slugging percentage. He has 18 home runs and 62 RBI on the season. He is on a $20 million one-year contract agreed upon ahead of arbitration.
Yankees Scrambling Amid Month-Long Swoon
It might well be a longshot for the Yankees to bring on Guerrero but there is no doubt that this is a team in need of a jolt to avoid the kind of collapse that has torpedoed their seasons in the two previous years.
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge have produced in the middle of the lineup. Virtually no one else has. Those two bat No. 2-3 in the lineup, but Yankees cleanup hitters have hit just 10 home runs (24th in MLB), batted .204 (last in MLB) and posted an OPS of .593 (also last).
That’s not a recipe for postseason success. The Yankees are counting on injured returning DH Giancarlo Stanton but first baseman Anthony Rizzo struggled badly all season. Guerrero can play first base, his primary position, but has started 98 games as a third baseman, too.
The Yankees need another big bat. Guerrero is one. They need some positional flexibility. Guerrero has that, too.