The New York Yankees will be active at this year’s trade deadline, and if they want to win the World Series they’ll need to nail these additions.
With the Minnesota Twins hitting the skids, they could become sellers if things do not turn around in the coming weeks, despite their GM publicly saying that’s not where their mind is at at the moment.
If they choose to sell, the Yankees would be one of the first teams to call them, and these two players could be of interest to them: UTL Willi Castro and RP Brock Stewart.
I reported earlier this week that the Yankees had displayed interest this past winter in Willi Castro, and while I have not heard about any prior conversations regarding Brock Stewart, I know they attempted to deal for Jhoan Duran last year.
It would cost way more to land the star closer due to his consistent track record of high-leverage brilliance, but if the Yankees could pull the trigger on a deal for Stewart instead without trading the entire farm system.
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Brock Stewart is having a dominant season for the Minnesota Twins, striking out 34% of batters faced with a 2.74 ERA, as the right-hander has been one of the best bullpen arms in the game.
He’s sitting 96 MPH on his fastball, generating more ride than you’d expect for someone throwing from such a low arm angle.
Unlike most pitchers nowadays, Stewart loves to throw his four-seamer, using it 55.2% of the time because it’s such an effective offering, using a cutter, changeup, sweeper, and sinker to keep hitters off-balance.
Set to turn 34 years old this upcoming October, the Twins might view this season as an opportunity to cash-in on his value, and for the Yankees, his years of control in 2026 and 2027 are desirable.
As for Willi Castro, his versatile glove and switch-hitting capabilities could make him the perfect replacement for Oswaldo Cabrera, taking a more offensive-minded approach to the utilityman role.
Hitting .276 with a 132 wRC+ across 60 games, Willi Castro has been an XBH machine for the Twins, hitting home runs and doubles to aid a Minnesota offense that has pulled it’s weight this year.
His turnaround after returning from the injured list has been magical, and with New York’s interest in him over the winter, you have to wonder if the Yankees would be willing to pursue him again this deadline.
Castro can play third base if needed thanks to his strong arm and mobility, but he has been rather pedestrian defensively there throughout his career.
That would not bother me at all; Jazz Chisholm would move back to second base and become an elite defender while the offense would get a massive boost from Willi Castro over DJ LeMahieu.
To get good players you have to trade good players, so how could New York entice Minnesota into making a deal?
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Spencer Jones is someone I expect the Yankees to include in deals this summer due to the logjam in the outfield, and his play this season has certainly helped his MLB viability.
The in-zone contact rates are unfathomably bad, but the quality of contact is truly 80-grade, and with an athletic profile in centerfield, he could provide enough to start everyday for a team with the patience to let him develop.
Now in Triple-A, the Yankees will get a chance to further market their 2022 first-round pick to other teams, and if they hang onto him I believe he’ll get placed on their 40-man roster this winter.
Another Rule-5 eligible player is Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, who has displayed tons of upside at High-A and could move up to Double-A shortly.
The right-hander sits 94-95 MPH and tops out at 99 MPH, throwing six different pitches including a new sweeper and two-seam fastball.
Nasty splitter from Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz here, he has four strikeouts through his first two frames tonight in Hudson Valley. pic.twitter.com/IY2asyzpFe
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) April 18, 2025
Both are top 10 prospects in the Yankees’ organization, and to sweeten the pot, I would have the Yankees’ include Brendan Beck, a right-handed starter who could make his MLB debut as soon as this summer.
The oft-injured second-round pick from 2021 has stayed healthy, dealing to the tune of a 1.64 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate, walking just 12 batters in 60.1 IP.
His fastball sits between 92-93 MPH with elite vertical movement, also mixing in a slider, curveball, and changeup to get swings and misses.
With three prospects who could entice the Twins and provide MLB value as soon as 2026, they could be enticed to make a deal that wouldn’t affect their long-term future all that much.
The Yankees on the other-hand? They’d be one of the best teams in baseball, having little else to do in order to patch up their roster, and putting themselves in position to win the American League again.
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