Based on one insider’s opinion, the New York Yankees might’ve built their pitching stockpile back up to the point where they feel comfortable dealing freely again.
According to Mike Axisa, a longtime Yankee blogger at River Avenue Blues and a current MLB analyst for CBS, New York’s list of untouchables as they approach the trade deadline is startlingly small. That doesn’t mean they don’t have valuable pieces. It might mean they’re finally willing to be flexible again, especially when dealing top-tier starting pitching options, because they believe they have collected enough to be able to sacrifice some of their darlings.
In Axisa’s opinion, George Lombard Jr. is the only player who’s “close to” untouchable at the moment — and why wouldn’t he be, especially since there doesn’t appear to be anyone on the trade market in the Kyle Tucker tier who’d even be worth dangling him for?
Beyond that, right-handed pitcher Cam Schlittler will only be dealt if there’s a massive name on the other end of the deal (and, again, there probably won’t be in this limited market). The rest of the farm? Make them an offer.
Axisa
“I think Lombard is close to untouchable and Schlittler is in the “only for someone who really moves the needle” bucket, and every other prospect in the system is on the table, including Lagrange.”
https://twitter.com/BobbyMilone29/status/1939664225426657464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Yankees’ trade deadline untouchables include George Lombard Jr., Cam Schlittler and that’s probably it?
Spencer Jones’ K rate remains worrisome — and that’s going to be the case forever. He’s still managed to emerge as the best version of himself this season, posting a .993 OPS and homering 18 times between Double-A and Triple-A (twice at the highest level in just a handful of games). Will the Yankees choose this as the moment to cash him in, or will they hold him for next spring, when Cody Bellinger may have opted out into prosperity and Trent Grisham probably got a raise elsewhere? The Yankees probably don’t want to blare sirens and place him on the market, but … give them a call. They won’t rule it out.
Same with flamethrowing righty Carlos Lagrange. Is he a starter? Reliever? Will he ever harness his command with limited pitches at his disposal? That very well could be another team’s quandary soon.
If the trade deadline market was packed with higher-upside sellers instead of being overly crowded with bottom feeders, this might turn into a more interesting conversation — in other words, the Yankees’ list of “untouchables” in a Ryan McMahon trade should probably expand a little further than these two.
Ultimately, this is a pleasing signal that the Yankees are open for business. They just need to hope that the tier of business matches their willingness to deal.
