Thoughts leading up to the 2025 trade deadline

The trade deadline is 6pm ET Thursday, and because the Yankees have a 1pm ET getaway game that afternoon, there’s a chance someone will get pulled off the team plane because they’ve been traded, Rafael Devers style. That would be a hoot. The Yankees got a head start on their deadline moves with the Ryan McMahon trade over the weekend. They can now focus on pitching, both a starter and multiple relievers, and another righty bat. Here are a few stray deadline thoughts that I figured I should run now rather than wait until Tuesday.

1. The Yankees made their second deadline move Saturday evening and picked up righty bench bat Amed Rosario from the Nationals. Clayton Beeter and Dominican Summer League outfielder Browm Martinez went to Washington in the trade. I had a Rosario blurb already written for item No. 6 in this post before the trade. Here it is:

UTIL Amed Rosario, Nationals: Still only 29, Rosario was traded to the Dodgers as a rental righty bat the last two deadlines, and he seems likely to get traded again in the next few days. The Yankees tried to sign him last offseason, but Rosario instead took less money from the Rays. They’ve had interest in him, he’s always hit lefties well (mostly as an AVG guy with doubles power), and he’s a competent enough defender who can play all around the infield and even the corner outfield spots in a pinch. Rosario would not be the sexiest pickup but he is a clear upgrade over Oswald Peraza. This one feels like it makes too much sense not to happen. 

It made so much sense that it happened before I had a chance to hit publish. Rosario gives the Yankees a badly needed righty bat who can platoon with Ryan McMahon or even Jazz Chisholm Jr. He can pinch-hit against a lefty reliever, something the Yankees have been unable to do all season. The cost was minimal. Beeter has big league stuff and Triple-A control, and seemed closer to a DFA than to helping the Yankees in a meaningful way. Martinez is an 18-year-old rookie ball lottery ticket. It’s too bad Rosario stepped into Aaron Judge’s roster spot. It would have been nice to add him to Judge. Hopefully they’ll be on the active roster together in the coming weeks. Good, sensible pickup that fills a glaring need.

2. The Aaron Judge injury changes the deadline equation. I don’t mean the Yankees should pivot to sellers even though they could make a killing with their rentals (Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, etc.). Hal Steinbrenner wouldn’t okay selling in 2023. No chance he does it this year with a Wild Card spot within reach. I do think there should be a shift in how the Yankees approach the trade deadline though. Forget about pricey rentals like Willi Castro, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, etc. Prioritize players with control beyond this season (like Ryan McMahon) and cheaper rentals (like Amed Rosario). I’m a big “get in and you can win” guy, just look at the 2023 Rangers, but Judge’s injury does take a bite out of the Yankees’ chances to get to the postseason, and there’s always the chance a flexor strain turns into something more serious. Brass tacks, Judge’s injury means the Yankees are less likely to win the World Series now than they were at this time last week because they’re less likely to reach the postseason and they’re less likely to have an effective Judge the rest of 2025. I don’t think it’s enough to throw in the towel on the season, but I do think the Yankees have to be realistic about their situation, and understand throwing valuable trade chips at rental players is unwise. By all means, be active. Just go for controllable players and the lower cost rentals that won’t put a dent in the farm system now.

3. However many relievers you think the Yankees need at the deadline, they need more. They have what, eight healthy Major League caliber pitchers right now? That’s including the starters. The Yankees need to add both quality and quantity to the bullpen. A bona fide high leverage arm plus two middle relief guys, preferably one of whom is a lefty who can miss bats. The Yankees have traded for a reliever at the deadline each of the last four years …

• 2024: Enyel De Los Santos and Mark Leiter Jr.

• 2023: Keynan Middleton

• 2022: Scott Effross and Lou Trivino

• 2021: Clay Holmes and Joely Rodríguez 

… and the question is not will they do it again this year, but how many relievers will they bring in? Matt Blake told Gary Phillips that “bodies in particular would be helpful,” so the pitching coach is begging for help. The brain trust understands the Yankees are short on depth and needs more than one late-inning dude. The common trend among those deadline reliever pickups the last few years is guys with sexier Statcast profiles than surface stats. Some potentially available pitchers with large discrepancies between their ERA and Statcast’s xERA:

• LHP Jalen Beeks, Diamondbacks: 4.39 ERA and 3.41 xERA

• RHP Connor Brogdon, Angels: 4.30 ERA and 3.22 xERA

• RHP Yennier Cano, Orioles: 4.54 ERA and 3.15 xERA

• LHP Jose Ferrer, Nationals: 4.88 ERA and 3.48 xERA

• RHP Mike Soroka, Nationals: 4.85 ERA and 3.27 xERA

I wrote about Beeks earlier this month. Soroka has been starting all year and a smart team is going to pick him up and put him in the bullpen (as a Mike King-esque multi-inning guy?), where his stuff really played up with the White Sox last season. That’s why I signed him as part of the Offseason Plan. Ferrer brings velocity (97.4 mph average sinker), grounders (60.5%), and limited hard contact (3.2% barrels). Washington is behind the times with pitchers. Ferrer is one of those “put him on a smart team and he could take off” types. Soroka’s a rental and Ferrer is under team control through 2029. A package deal sounds good to me. The larger point is the Yankees need multiple relievers. I feel like three is the minimum, but maybe they can get away with two if Leiter and Fernando Cruz return soon-ish. Their deadline reliever shopping the last few years has been focused on guys with better underlying numbers than surface stats, which makes the Yankees like every other smart team. We’re all clamoring for the big name guy having a great year (David Bednar, Jhoan Duran, etc). More likely, the Yankees go the under-the-radar route again. Hopefully they dig up more Holmeses and fewer De Los Santoses this time around.

4. One reliever I badly want the Yankees to acquire: Reid Detmers. He fits the Statcast > stats profile (4.08 ERA and 3.16 xERA) and has found a home in the bullpen after floundering as a starter with the Angels. He’s running a 29.4 K% and 48.3 GB% this year and there’s so much to like. He sits mid-90s, his slider is a 40% whiff rate pitch, and he has a curveball and changeup too.

You can count on one hand the number of good starters to come out of the Angels’ system since Jered Weaver. There is a strong belief that Detmers has starter’s stuff and can thrive in that role under the proper instruction. He’s only 26 and he has another three years of control. The Yankees are changeup masters and can probably help Detmers refine that pitch and turn it into a third plus offering. Pick him up, put him in the bullpen the rest of this year, then transition him back to the rotation in 2026. And if starting doesn’t work long-term, you can put him back in the bullpen, where he’s shown he can be successful. Alden Gonzalez says the Angels have let teams know their rentals are available (Tyler Anderson, Kenley Jansen, Luis Rengifo, etc.). Detmers may not be realistically attainable, but I’d love to add him, and I hope the Yankees try. He’s good as he is right now and there is so much potential for a greater role.

5. The bullpen has been so bad and the focus is on that, I totally get it, but I do think a starter is needed too. The Yankees are one more injury away from Allan Winans starting every five days. I don’t want to count too much on Luis Gil because lat strains can be season-killers, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren are young guys heading into uncharted territory workload-wise, and Ryan Yarbrough’s recovery from his oblique strain is moving slowly. At minimum, the Yankees need a depth guy who can contribute innings. An Adrian Houser/Cal Quantrill type. I would like them to add a better pitcher than that because the Wild Card race is very tight. Someone who can help the Yankees get to the postseason and then start a game once they get there. Those guys are in short supply and will cost you, but that's life. Clearly, the bullpen needs help. So too does the rotation. Like I said earlier, however many pitchers you think the Yankees need, they actually need more. (Also, adding a starter will help the bullpen by eating more innings, in theory.) 

6. The Yankees need another righty bench bat even after adding Amed Rosario. They had five lefties and a switch-hitter who doesn’t hit lefties in the lineup against lefty Ranger Suárez on Saturday, and their righty hitting first baseman has one home run in the team’s last 42 games. Rosario and a healthy Aaron Judge aren’t enough. The Yankees need one more righty bat on top of healthy Judge/Rosario because the path through the AL goes through Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal, and Framber Valdez in October. It’s been a while since I’ve updated the plate appearances against lefty relievers leaderboard. Here’s the latest:

1. Yankees: 569
2. Twins: 549
3. Red Sox: 542
4. Phillies: 542
5. Diamondbacks: 512

Teams continue to run lefty reliever after lefty reliever out there. Ryan McMahon gives them even more reason to do it. Rosario was a good start. Now I would like a righty hitting outfielder to platoon with Jasson Domínguez and make better use of J.C. Escarra’s roster spot (sorry, J.C.). We’re entering the stretch run and it’s time to prioritize what gives the Yankees the best chance to win over Jasson’s development as a righty hitter. You can go back to working on that in the offseason and in 2026. Here are a few righty bench bats who are likely available:

OF Austin Slater, White Sox: Slater is in the big leagues because he can hit lefties, period. That’s all he does. It’s a .274/.357/.565 (154 wRC+) line against lefties this year and a career 123 wRC+ against southpaws. Slater’s outfield defense is sketchy and he has played some first base in the past. He’s a rental on a $1.75M contract. The White Sox signed this guy specifically so they could trade him for a prospect at the deadline. Give them a Rosario-esque package and call it a deal.

OF Lane Thomas, Guardians: He’s been hurt and horrible (48 wRC+) this year, and he’s currently out with plantar fasciitis. Thomas has a history of hitting lefties hard though …

… and the Guardians are not exactly a scary team making noise in the race (four games behind the third Wild Card spot). Thomas is not expected back anytime soon and he’s making $7.825M this season, his final year of team control. Maybe Cleveland would give him away at the deadline to save the money? You could stash him on the injured list, and if he comes back and helps, great. If not, you’re only out a few bucks. Good-ish idea, but it wouldn’t help the Yankees right now. (If Cleveland crashes out of the race, they could put Thomas on waivers in the coming weeks and try to clear his salary that way.)

UTIL Dylan Moore, Mariners: Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) says the Mariners have made Moore available, likely as a way to move money around. He’s making $3.825M in his final year of control. Like Thomas, Moore hasn’t hit lefties this year but he has a history of doing it:

Unlike Thomas, Moore is healthy, and he can also play all over the field. First, second, short, third, right, and center this year alone. His production against lefties is mostly walks and extra-base thump, and he does strike out a lot, which is suboptimal. The Yankees just added a high strikeout bat in McMahon. They don’t need another one in Moore. That said, market forces could push them in that direction. (To be fair, Rosario doesn’t strike out much at all. Only 13.9 K% this year.)

OF Dane Myers, Marlins: Myers is a late-bloomer who finally has a stable big league job at age 29. He’s a strict platoon guy (143 wRC+ vs. LHP and 59 wRC+ vs. RHP) with power to the opposite field, and he’s a terrific outfielder with speed, range, and a top of the line arm. Myers is a bit of a stathead fave. He has another four years of team control remaining, though I don’t think the rebuilding Marlins would hug their 29-year-old fourth outfielder too tightly. Myers would be the ideal pickup as an all-around contributor with long-term control. A Moore/Slater rental is probably more likely.

7. It’s been a slow deadline for rumors, no? Those random “team has checked in on this player” rumors have been in short supply. Katie Woo (subs. req’d) says the Yankees are among the teams with interest in Brendan Donovan, though I’m not sure if that’s still true after the Ryan McMahon trade. It should be, Donovan is really good and can play multiple positions, so fitting him into the lineup would be easy even with McMahon, plus he has another two years of control. Go get that guy if you can. Jon Heyman hinted at the Yankees pushing their pitching prospects and catching prospects on the Diamondbacks in Eugenio Suárez trade talks, so that’s where they’re looking to deal from. Makes sense, right? That’s where the Yankees are deepest in the minors. They used two Single-A pitchers to get McMahon and have more to trade beyond that. The Yankees also have more upper level catching than they’ll ever need (Rafael Flores and Jesus Rodriguez, plus J.C. Escarra and Ben Rice). Joel Sherman (sub. req’d) says teams are calling about Rice and the Yankees are open to talking about him, and of course they should be. Realistically, he’s a platoon first base/DH type who can occasionally catch. If a team thinks Rice can be a starting catcher, they might pay big. To me, there’s not a single young player/prospect who should be untouchable. Rice, Jasson Domínguez, Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., whoever. They’re all on the table for me, especially pitching prospects. The Yankees traded four pitchers for Trent Grisham/Juan Soto last year and three of them are currently on the 60-day injured list. Non-elite pitching prospects are not to be hugged. Trade the prospects and young players for appropriate value, of course, but I’m making every single one available. If there’s a controllable starter or a Donovan type to be had, go for it.

8. In my ideal world, the roster will look like this when the Yankees report to loanDepot Park in Miami on Friday (Rice should be listed as C/1B. My bad):

I don’t think that’s too much to ask. Three new relievers may be a lot, but the Yankees do need them, and they don’t all have to be shut down late-inning guys. We’re talking about improving on the Yerry De Los Santos, Scott Effross, Ian Hamilton, et al roster spots. Guys like JT Chargois, Phil Maton, Lucas Sims, and Ryne Stanek were traded for a song at least year’s deadline. Middle relievers are always out there, and it won’t cost more than a Grade C or D prospect to get, say, Austin Slater for the bench. Someone like that would bring more balance to the lineup and make the bench so much more functional. The “where does this leave?" section is pretty straightforward. Escarra and Hamilton can be optioned to Triple-A (Escarra might get traded this week), and you worry about Brubaker’s spot when you need to. My ideal deadline right now is Mitch Keller for the rotation, Reid Detmers and Mike Soroka for the bullpen, a third reliever, and a Slater/Dane Myers type for the bench. I’m not sure the Yankees have the horses to swing Keller and Detmers trades, but try. Continue to rebuild the bench, bring in as many quality arms as possible, hope Gil and Judge return soon with no ill-effects, and put your best foot forward in August and September (and October). Bottom line, the Yankees need a lot of help at the trade deadline, and they also need to clean up their sloppy play. Trades won’t fix that last part.