It was a transaction that didn’t make a ton of noise outside the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. But if the New York Yankees were paying attention, perhaps they could parlay it into something transformational.
For both the player and the team.
On July 2, the Texas Rangers announced that they were optioning third baseman Josh Jung to Triple-A Round rock. A major factor in the Rangers winning the franchise’s first World Series title in 2023, Jung got off to a pretty good start this season, but he batted just .158 throughout June, bringing his slash line down to just .237/.283/.366 in 75 games
“I think it’s fair to say he’s been going through some struggles here, these past three, four weeks,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. “The best thing right now for Josh and this club is to let him get some at-bats with Round Rock, get his game back, his confidence back. We need him.”.
But maybe the Yankees need him even more.
Yankees Could Find Third Base Answer in Trade for Rangers’ Josh Jung
On Wednesday, the Yankees finally cut ties with DJ LeMahieu, eating one season plus a few months of the six-year, $90 million deal signed after the 2020 season in the hopes of finding anything that resembles stability at third base. A three-time All-Star infielder and four-time Gold Glove Award winner, LeMahieu’s production cratered over the last two seasons, and injuries didn’t help. His release was less about punishing a struggling veteran and more about the Yankees admitting they have no answer at third base.
The position has been a rotating door of journeymen, infield shuffles, and half-hearted stopgaps. The decision to cut LeMahieu underscores just how desperate things have gotten in the Bronx.
In the meantime, there’s Josh Jung, a former first-round pick, the starting third baseman for the American League in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, and, at 26, still young enough to retool.
Jung was a big part of the Rangers’ championship puzzle in 2023. He hit 23 homers with 70 RBIs and an OPS of .782 during the regular season, then slashed .308/.329/.538 in 17 playoff games, helping lead Texas to the title. Even now, the raw power hasn’t vanished.
Jung’s defensive metrics aren’t elite, but he’s plenty serviceable at the hot corner — which would be a massive upgrade over the black hole the Yankees have run out there lately. And as suggested in a recent piece from Sports Illustrated, New York could also ask for left-handed reliever Hoby Milner to be included in the deal, helping to fortify a bullpen that has been stretched pretty thin. The 34-year-old sidewinder has been sneaky effective for Texas this season, posting a 2.78 ERA with solid strikeout-to-walk numbers.
Deal for Josh Jung, Hoby Milner Should Not Cost Yankees any High-End Prospects
With Jung still under team control through the 2028 season, the Yankees wouldn’t be able to get him for a throwaway piece. But unlike other third base options such as Eugenio Suarez or Ryan McMahon, he won’t cost multiple high-end pieces either. A package headlined by a Double-A pitcher among the Yankees’ Top 10 prospects, either Brock Selvidge or Chase Hampton, along with Triple-A first baseman TJ Rumfield might be enough to get it done.
Jung wouldn’t be a no-doubt savior, but he’d be a legitimate piece at a position where the Yankees desperately need one. Milner wouldn’t be a headline name, but he’d be a veteran fix for a bullpen that’s been asked to carry too much weight.
In a summer that’s already shown the Yankees can’t sit on their hands — evidenced by the LeMahieu cut — a bold swing for a high-upside bat and a steady lefty could be the difference between watching October from the couch and taking a real swing at ring No. 28.
Texas Trash Could be Yankees Treasure in Trade Pitch for World Series Hero