Pinch yourselves, New York Yankees fans. This team really is everything you hoped they’d be in your wildest offseason dreams, and perhaps even better. After dominating the San Diego Padres for the first two days of Memorial Day Weekend, the Yankees are 37-17, three games clear of the rest of the AL East and dominating in all facets of the game.
With Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the rest of the lineup firing on all cylinders and a rotation already dominating without Gerrit Cole, it’s hard to sit here and say this Yankees team really needs improvement. But complacency can be the only enemy of great teams at times. Every dominant regular-season team of the past few years that went on to win a championship made noteworthy trades in the process, and this New York team should be no different.
That’s why we’ll be examining three areas the Yankees should fortify via trade in hopes of turning themselves into the clear-cut favorite in the AL playoff picture. And remember, every player they bring on board is also a player the Baltimore Orioles or Cleveland Guardians can’t add themselves. It’s an arms race and, historically, the Yankees haven’t been known to lose those.
Yankees need corner infield reinforcements
If we were to grade the Yankees’ position groups each individually, the infield would be the only one so far this year that doesn’t merit an A or A+. That’s not to say New York needs to worry about the players they have on a day-to-day basis, or that there aren’t talented players in the fold. But adding one more piece to the puzzle, especially one more corner guy, could be the difference between too little and title.
Versatility should be stressed here, because in the right situations, it would be helpful to have someone who can start a game at either corner. DJ LeMahieu can be that guy when healthy, but we’ve yet to see him take the field this season. And Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera are both better served as utility men than everyday starters.
Some names that come to mind here: the Colorado Rockies’ Ryan McMahon, the Miami Marlins’ Jake Burger and the Oakland Athletics’ J.D. Davis, all depending on performance and asking price. Either way, we’re looking for offensive consistency and the ability to add something to the lineup if the Yankees are facing a tough pitcher and want to get their best offensive lineup on the field.
