As the trade deadline quickly approaches, it’s clear that the Yankees are looking to make a serious splash. The Bronx Bombers are in a wildcard spot, but have started to fall off, now sitting 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East. It’s become clear they need to make some moves to improve a roster with multiple holes. In fact, the Yankees were ranked as the most desperate team to make a move by ESPN. So, what are some of these potential big splashes they are rumored to make?
Oneil Cruz Rumors
While they are interested in a starter and rental third baseman, Eugenio Suárez, there’s a young guy with tons of talent the Yankees are after. That guy is Oneil Cruz.
The Pirates’ center field has skills to be ecstatic about. He’s a 6’7 slugger with a career .757 OPS and hits the ball as hard as anyone. However, Cruz has room to improve as his strikeout and whiff rates rank in the second and third percentiles in the MLB. Playing in Yankee Stadium and getting drastically improved lineup protection could allow him to take serious strides at the plate.
Yankees Biggest Weaknesses
Outside of pitching, New York’s holes are clearly at shortstop and third base. Since the Oswaldo Cabrera injury, this base has been the clear weakness in the lineup. Oswald Peraza has not filled in, posting a .446 OPS over 156 at-bats. At shortstop, it’s beginning to feel like the leash for former top prospect Anthony Volpe is being shortened. The 24-year-old has a .667 career OPS over 420 games. At this point, it’s getting tough to believe Volpe can get it down at the plate. The Yankees don’t have to give up on him yet, but it really wouldn’t be all that crazy if they moved on.
So how does Oneil Cruz Fit In?
The questionable part about the Cruz rumors is that he doesn’t exactly fill a position of need. He moved from shortstop to centerfield last season, and it’s clear the Pirates were smart to make that change. The problem is the Yankees already have a surplus of outfielders and have emerging prospect Spencer Jones nearly ready for the call-up.
Moving Cruz back to shortstop is an option. However, over 1,727 innings at short, he’s accumulated -12 OAA (outs above average). Compare that to Volpe, who has 11 OAA over 3,627 innings, and Cruz would be a significant downgrade defensively.
How Realistic is a Trade?
Ultimately, there’s one way this makes sense for New York. Either they believe he can improve defensively at short and take over for Volpe. Or, they change his position again and move him to the hot corner. It would be an unorthodox move, but the upside is there. Cruz has infield experience, the strongest arm in baseball, and the raw tools to develop into a lethal offensive player.
It would be costly and risky to trade for the young slugger. But if Cruz can step up and play third, then the Yanks could fill their biggest need for years to come with Cruz being under team control through 2028. If it goes down, an Oneil Cruz to the Yankees trade would easily be the most entertaining trade this deadline.
Yankees Interested in Trading for Emerging Star