It’s been bad in the Bronx for a few weeks, with the Yankees struggling mightily to get anything going since the middle of June.
This summer swoon has exposed real holes on the roster, namely in the pitching staff where injuries have started to eat them alive.
With Brian Cashman declaring that the team will try to ‘go to town’ this trade deadline, I expect the Yankees to buy and add some critical pieces.
I’ve tried to map out my deadline plan numerous times, and while there are players and routes to take that could get New York over the top this October, this is the one that strikes me as both realistic and productive.
Yankees Add a Dynamic Reliever and Infielder to Their Roster In Combo Trade
Yankees Receive: UTL Willi Castro and RHP Brock Stewart
Twins Receive: C JC Escarra, 2B Roc Riggio, and LHP Allen Facundo
The Twins do not strike me as a team looking to blow it all up, but rather soft reset and get back into the playoff conversation next year.
It seems a bit silly to have a trade including JC Escarra as a main piece, but the Twins have a 0.3 WAR at the catcher position and a 70 wRC+.
Furthermore, assistant hitting coach Trevor Amicone was plucked from the Yankees’ Triple-A team this past year where he served as their hitting coach for multiple seasons.
Escarra immediately provides a long-term answer behind the dish for Minnesota, and Roc Riggio is a power-hitting infield prospect who can bolster their middle infield in the near future.
Allen Facundo is the hidden gem for Minnesota, a left-hander who just hit 99.7 MPH on his fastball and has routinely hit 98 MPH since returning from Tommy John Surgery.
As for the Yankees, they end up adding a versatile infield hitter with Willi Castro, who can both serve as the third baseman and fill-in at other positions if needed.
With a 124 wRC+ and 10 home runs, Castro is swinging a strong stick this season from both sides of the plate, and he would be a perfect bottom-half hitter for the lineup.
He deepens an offense that’s first in OPS (.790), and while he isn’t the headline-grabbing name that Eugenio Suarez would be, the Yankees are definitely better off with him than without him.
The Yankees would also get a hard-throwing right-handed reliever in Brock Stewart, who has flown under the radar with both Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax in that bullpen.
Brock Stewart, 97mph Two Seamer (18 inches of Run) and 85mph Sweeper (20 inches of Break), Overlay
😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/RJwcRWaFaW
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 25, 2024
He has a 2.45 ERA, 31.4% strikeout rate, and 0.61 HR/9, and the Yankees would have control through the 2027 season if they acquired him.
It would create a formidable backend of the bullpen with Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver, Brock Stewart, and Devin Williams all capable of pitching in high-leverage.
Both teams get good value in this deal, and the Yankees directly address two of their biggest flaws as a team in one fell swoop.
READ MORE: Yankees promote volatile starter, designate reliever from Mets after one appearance
Going to Arizona To Add a Frontline Starting Pitcher
Yankees Receive: RHP Merrill Kelly
Diamondbacks Receive: RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and LHP Brendan Beck
The Arizona Diamondbacks want young pitching, and the New York Yankees are going to do just that for them by sending over two Double-A starters in return for a veteran in Merrill Kelly.
With a 3.34 ERA and 24.4% strikeout rate, he’s pitched like a true number two starter that can slot into the Yankees rotation easily.
Max Fried and Carlos Rodon would have a third running mate that provides the team with a dynamic rotation, as when Luis Gil gets back they can have a nice mix of fifth starter candidates.
Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, and Ryan Yarbrough can battle it out as the fifth starter or find themselves as relievers, further bolstering this staff.
Arizona lands Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz as the headliner of this deal, a starter who sports six different pitches with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s.
His stuff is really good and the command has made progress from last year, and if he stays healthy, there’s a chance he makes his MLB debut in 2026.
Brendan Beck is a soft-tossing righty who sits around 91 MPH with his fastball but has a dynamic slider due to his over-the-top mechanics which create a high release point.
Both are top 30 prospects in the organization, with ERC grading out as a top five prospect in my updated rankings which will come out soon.
Adding the Finishing Touch to Bolster A Struggling Bullpen
Yankees Receive: LHP Hoby Milner
Rangers Receive: LHP Brock Selvidge
A top 30 prospect heads to the Rangers in LHP Brock Selvidge, whom the Rangers can utilize as a starter or reliever in the next year or so.
He hasn’t produced the swing-and-miss numbers you’d hope for thus far, but I think the Yankees could sell the Rangers on his upside.
I wouldn’t write off Selvidge, who is returning from an extended time off with injury, and for the expiring contract of Hoby Milner, it’s a fair deal.
Through 44 appearances, the left-hander has a 2.35 ERA and 3.21 xERA, displaying elite damage prevention numbers due to his crafty mechanics.
Hoby Milner, Wicked 80mph Back Foot Sweeper…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/cq2nSs04U1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 1, 2024
Milner has a sinker, four-seamer, changeup, and sweeper, giving him four weapons that he uses fairly evenly with great success.
He’s yet to allow a home run this season, quietly boasting the sixth-highest WAR for any reliever in baseball so far (1.4) because of his deceptive nature.
The Yankees wouldn’t close games with Hoby Milner, but you could certainly throw him in the seventh inning of a tied game and expect a clean frame.
With Tim Hill as the second-best lefty in the bullpen, New York takes a terrible bullpen and makes it one of the best in the sport again.
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