If the New York Yankees were to link up with the Texas Rangers at this year’s trade deadline, it better involve pitching. That’s the only thing the 2023 World Series champs have going for them right now, as their offense has been one of the worst in MLB.
That’s why when CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa dropped third baseman Jace Jung as a potential trade candidate for the Bombers in his most recent column, most fans who saw it raised their eyebrows. Jung was an All-Star back in 2023 during his rookie season, but he’s been injured or underperforming ever since.
The Yankees have enough experimental options on this roster with Jazz Chisholm Jr., DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza and JC Escarra as potential third basemen. While Jung would add a bit more stability given his age (27), a bit more of a diverse offensive profile, and an actual everyday third base presence, he just wouldn’t alleviate any of the Yankees’ needs.
Not to mention, he’s going to cost a lot in any trade because he’s under team control for three more years and will be subject to pay raises in arbitration. In theory, this addresses a “void” for the Yankees, but it’s a more of a “what if” situation rather than a steady solution.
The only interesting name Axisa mentions as a trade target is Josh Jung
Jung’s value is 13, was at 30+ 2 yrs ago
His D at 3b is iffy at best, Reminds me of Volpe, someone who will frustrate the fan base very quickly pic.twitter.com/ld1p6fv83K
https://twitter.com/BobbyMilone29/status/1939665509433164144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1939665509433164144%7Ctwgr%5E3069f8e9ab68f86c56370cf4a16b0f311522a0d2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fyanksgoyard.com%2Fformer-rangers-all-star-pitched-as-possible-yankees-trade-target-but-wouldnt-help
Yankees Rumors: Rangers’ Josh Jung a potential trade deadline target for NYY?
Jung strikes out a ton (28.2% career rate) and rarely walks (5.3% career rate) so … yes … the Anthony Volpe comp is pretty much spot on: an overhyped young player with a ton of potential, but none of it truly being fulfilled.
There is a world in which Jung succeeds at the bottom of the Yankees lineup with how the rest of the veteran sluggers are performing, but we’re also wondering why the Rangers would sell low on a former top draft pick, top prospect, All-Star, and playoff hero. They’d be better off looking to trade established veterans who are having poor seasons, but have a proven trade record of success. They have a lot of money tied up in big contracts and would be smarter to find suitors for Marcus Semien, Kyle Higashioka, Joc Pederson, Adolis Garcia and/or Jake Burger.
Or, even better, they can package one or more of those guys with one of their star pitchers (Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, the currently injured Tyler Mahle) to both relieve salary and appease a trade partner who may not be keen on absorbing money unless something else is thrown into a deal.
Maybe that’s the route the Yankees take? That’s also doubtful, though, because they don’t have that much payroll flexibility to work with ahead of the trade deadline. As you can see, entering the season without a true starter at a very important position is not a good idea, for the fifth year in a row.
