As the baseball season heads into June, trade rumors surrounding the New York Yankees have begun to pick up momentum. To the disappointment of most their fans. The rumors currently consist on the Yankees need to rebuild their roster, as well as their farm system, and the term “fire sale” has started to circulate. Wednesday saw the Yankees lose to the Toronto Blue Jays, completing a three-game sweep at the hands of their divisional rivals. Once again the Yankees displayed the problems they have with their starting rotation, as well as their inability to produce anything on offense.
In their three-game series with the Blue Jays, New York’s offense was only able to score three runs in 27 innings. For a team that the Yankees must pass in the American League East standings, this was not the way they wanted to start the season series off. The Yankees now hold a record of 24-28, and sit seven-and-a-half games behind the first place Boston Red Sox. That record has them in fourth place in the AL East and only one-and-a-half games ahead of the last place Tampa Bay Rays.
To suggest that the Yankees offense has been struggling would be a colossal understatement, which is why there has been so much talk revolving around trade rumors regarding the New York Yankees. The Yankees everyday lineup has posted a batting average that is below .250 on the season. That includes players like Alex Rodriguez (.174), Mark Teixeira (.185), Brett Gardner (.211), Brian McCann (.224) and Chase Headley (.230).
The Yankees are arguably the worst hitting team in the American League. The Pinstripes have a combined batting average of only .231, which makes it the worst in the AL. Their on-base percentage leaves a lot to be desired as it sits at .299, meaning they’re having a serious problem even drawing walks. Their OPS of .670, is also a major concern given the fact that most of their players on the active roster are supposed to be home-run hitters.
Recently, there have been a number of really good hitters who have been linked to trade rumors involving the Yankees. They include Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Kemp of the San Diego Padres, as well as his teammate Wil Myers. Most of these trade rumors make no sense for the Yankees. In fact, many believe it’s time for the Yankees to sell off some of their pieces.
If the Yankees do decide to become sellers before the trade deadline, which of their players should they consider? Aroldis Chapman could definitely be one of the players they’d consider, see as he’s in the final year of his contract that he signed with the Cincinnati Reds, making him a free agent at seasons end. This could make him very attractive to a team that is currently contending, and might even fetch the Yankees a handful of promising prospects in return. Then there’s Andrew Miller, who only has two years left on his contract, earning $9 million per season through 2018, and he’s also shown that he can be a lockdown closer.
If the Yankees want to go all-in as sellers, then another player they could put on the market is Jacoby Ellsbury. The only obstacle for New York would be his contract, which has four years left on it at $21 million per season. The Yankees will no doubt have to pay part, or most of his salary in order to move him. Other players they could consider, are the ones who are heading into free-agency following the season. These players include Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, Ivan Nova, and CC Sabathia. Now the return on these players wouldn’t be substantial, but it could help to rebuild their roster.
Heading into the 2017 season, the Yankees have about $130 million in committed salaries. So the team could become very active in free-agency in the years to come. With the 2016 season shaping up to be a very rough, and extremely disappointing to their fans, there’s still a slight glimmer of hope that if Brian Cashman can make a few deals before the trade deadline, then it would at least benefit their future. Giving the Yankees fans something to look forward to.
