YANKEES POTENTIAL TRADE PARTNER: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Toronto Blue Jays have severely underachieved this season, with a mediocre 39-48 record that is barely better than the Los Angeles Angels’ (36-50) and the same as the Detroit Tigers.

Of course, when you have Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, George Springer, Bo Bichette, Danny Jansen, Jordan Romano, José Berríos and other star-level players on your roster, expectations will be high, particularly considering they have been contenders for a few years now with the same core. Yet the script remains unchanged, and this generation of Jays has yet to even win a single playoff game.

With a little less than a month to go until the deadline, Toronto still haven’t fully decided upon their strategy. Chances are, however, that they decide to offload some players, as even with a miraculous rally to the Wild Card (roughly a 1-in-50 chance, per FanGraphs), it’s hard to envision this as a World Series contender.

If the Blue Jays decide to go that route and partner with the Yankees (not impossible, as they worked with New York as recently as the 2018 Trade Deadline), the first obvious name that comes to mind is Guerrero. Depending on Anthony Rizzo’s recovery from an arm fracture and the organization’s faith in Ben Rice, they might or might not look for a first baseman, but if they do, Guerrero’s talent and upside would be a fit.

Of course, Vlad hasn’t touched his 2021 AL MVP runner-up ceiling (48 home runs, 166 wRC+) but he is catching fire and is already hitting .297/.376/.470 with 13 dingers, 50 RBI and a 143 wRC+. He is also 25 years old and just made his fourth consecutive All-Star team.

The problem with Vladdy is that even though he recently said he would be a professional and suit up if traded to the Yanks, he is really not too fond of the idea of playing for the franchise. Well, that, and the fact he is expensive ($19.9 million salary in 2024 and one year of arbitration left before hitting the market). A deal, while possible, is highly unlikely — especially if this front office still has hopes of contending in 2025.

The Jays might move Bichette, but the Yankees are not going to give up on Anthony Volpe so soon and the former might not be willing to move around the infield. They’d be dealing him in the middle of a career-worst season anyway (76 wRC+). Davis Schneider, on the other hand, could be a player who could potentially help New York with his ability to play second, third, and the outfield, his 128 career wRC+ and his five and a half years left of team control. It’s because of that last note, however, that Toronto probably won’t move him.

The infield, specifically second and third base, are areas in which the Yankees should look for improvements. In addition to Schneider, the Jays have Spencer Horwitz there. The 26-year-old, who can play first and second base, has some gaudy minor-league numbers through the years and is hitting .284/.415/.463 for Toronto in 2024. The sample size is tiny, though, just 82 plate appearances. As everything in life, it could all depend on the price.

The Yankees could use an arm for the rotation, but if they bring someone, it surely won’t be in the ballpark of Gausman or Bassitt because of multiple factors, ranging among age, potential acquisition cost, and salary. Instead, they might consider southpaw Yusei Kikuchi, who will be a pure rental and boasts a 4.12 ERA (3.61 FIP) in 94 innings this season. If he is made available — as rumored — there would be plenty of competition, though.

The Yankees’ bullpen is an area of need at the moment, and it’s hard not to think about a potential Chad Green reunion. The righty has a 1.37 ERA in 19.2 frames and has been getting save opportunities with closer Jordan Romano out with injury. Yimi García is about to start a rehab assignment in the minors and might also be in play for a trade, as would Trevor Richards. Most of the Toronto ‘pen has not been much to write home about.

We would imagine the Blue Jays won’t be happy to reinforce the Yankees, especially if any deal implies moving a current Toronto player who might face them next year, too. However, if they indeed approach a “retooling” process, New York would be a willing trade partner.

2024-07-05T17:02:56Z dg43tfdfdgfd