Indeed, it has been a tough couple of months for the New York Yankees, who just finished the first half of the season with a solid record of 58-40. They just trail the Baltimore Orioles one game behind in the American League East standings.
Still, there are things that need to be address as the Yankees kick off their second half of the season on Friday. A couple of these issues include lack of production coming from the infield corners and pitching depth.
The trade deadline can't come any sooner as New York looks to upgrades those current weakness. Here are three predictions that are bold and would be the mostly likely outcome as the trade deadline approaches.
New York certainly does need help in their infield corner, no doubt. Luis Regnifo is a guy that can solve their infield woes, considering how good he is this year in terms of production. He has a 127 wRC+ which would immediately upgrade a lineup that has received abysmal productions from the likes of DJ LeMahieu (53 wRC+) and Gleyber Torres (86 wRC+).
Regnifo's left-handed bat is a suitable fit for Yankee Stadium's right field short porch. He does have some pop, with a combined 33 home runs from 2022-23. Though the trade price might be steep, but it might be worth it to go all-in for player like Rengifo.
The bullpen has been a real issue for New York the entire first half of the season. A reason for this is due to injuries. The Yankees have lost a lot of key relievers due to injury that left them no choice but miss multiple games.
Here I got them acquiring left-handed reliever Tanner Scott in a deal with the Miami Marlins. Scott is having a fantastic season this year. He has a 1.34 ERA and 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Even better, he was named an All-Star for the first time this season.
The Yankees could use a reliver that strikes out batters. New York's bullpen currently ranks No.16 in strikeouts per inning with a 8.80. Since June 14, the team's bullpen ERA currently stands at 4.24. The only concern about Tanner Scott is his walk issues. He has command issues that need to be resolved.
As mentioned earlier, addressing the bullpen issues is a must once the deadline approaches. Here I have them trading for right-handed reliever Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox. Though this trade comes with risk.
Kopech has dealt with multiple injuries including an UCL injury back in 2019 that left him no choice but to get season-ending surgery. Despite posting an 5.05 ERA as a reliver, he does have good stuff that might get the Yankees invested in. His 98th percentile fastball velo has translated to an elite 30.9-percent strikeout rate.
The Yanks would have to part away with one of their top prospects, most notably Spencer Jones. The White Sox won't package Kopech to New York if Jones is not included in the deal.
In other Yankees news:
This article was originally published on empirewritesback.com as 3 Bold Yankees Trade Deadline Predictions.
2024-07-17T21:42:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd