The New York Yankees absolutely need to bring in some reinforcements before the MLB trade deadline, and right now, they need a whole lot of things.
Originally, bullpen was the primary area of need for the Yankees, but now, they certainly must look to add some bats with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and, most recently, Cody Bellinger all sidelined.
While catcher is the biggest hole, New York could also aim to upgrade at shortstop, where Anthony Volpe has been a massive disappointment and Jose Caballero has struggled.
The Yankees have top prospect George Lombard Jr. raking in the minor leagues, but is it possible that New York could look for a more proven option before Aug. 3?
Well, Joel Sherman of The New York Post has reported that the Yankees have reached out to the sliding Miami Marlins about middle infielders Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, both of whom are having tremendous years and would represent instant upgrades for the Bronx Bombers.
Of course, the chances of the Marlins actually moving either player are incredibly slim.
Yes, Miami has lost 12 in a row and is falling out of the playoff race in the National League. And yes, the Marlins could look to sell off some pieces. But they would be more likely to trade Sandy Alcantara or some bullpen arms rather than Lopez or Edwards, both of whom figure to be centerpieces of their future.
For the Yankees, the idea of going from Volpe to Lopez or Edwards at shortstop would be a dream come true, but they would have to pay a substantial price to even get Miami to budge.
Plus, does it really make any sense for New York to give up that much prospect capital for a shortstop when Lombard is on the brink of breaking into the big leagues?
The Yankees may have placed a call to South Florida, but it may have simply been due diligence on the part of Brian Cashman. A match doesn’t seem realistic here.
But the fact that New York reached out to the Marlins — and that Sherman actually reported it — is a sign that the Yanks may have been serious about prying one of the Marlins’ prized middle infielders away from South Beach.
We’ll see if the Yankees can pull a rabbit out of their hat over the next week.
