The New York Yankees are currently struggling with the rest of the competition in the American League East.
They lost center fielder Aaron Hicks and Luke Voit to injuries.
Second baseman DJ LeMahieu has been filling in for Voit in the cold corner, while Brett Gardner hasn’t been performing well as Hicks’ replacement in center.
The team badly needs someone capable of playing center field.
Looking good and deep in other areas, these three outfielder could make sense as deadline targets for the Yankees.
3. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Yankees could, and should, be interested in Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds as they try to bring offensive reinforcements before the deadline.
@KDPomp NJ media reports have both Bryan Reynolds and Sterling Marte as possible trade targets for @Yankees
— David Alan 13News Now (@13DavidAlan) June 4, 2021
After a down 2020 in which he hit .189/.275/.357 with seven homers in 55 games, he turned his career around in 2021 and is performing admirably for the rebuilding Pirates.
In 57 games so far this campaign, Reynolds is at .286/.388/.500 with nine homers, much more in line with his stellar rookie season of 2019: .314/.377/.503 and 16 round-trippers in 134 games.
As evidenced by his stat lines, Reynolds can hit for a high average while supplying his fair share of power and also getting on base via walks.
There are several problems with the idea of acquiring Reynolds, though.
He is young (26 years old), good, and has four remaining years of arbitration before he hits free agency.
Those aspects make him quite valuable for a rebuilding franchise as the Pirates.
It doesn’t mean a trade is impossible, it just means that the return would have to be overwhelming for the Pirates to trade their asset.
He is better suited at the outfield corners, but can play an adequate center field, which is what the Yankees badly need.
2. Joey Gallo, OF, Texas Rangers
Joey Gallo may scare some teams off because of his strikeout tendencies and low batting average output.
But between home runs and walks, he more than makes up for the first two deficiencies.
In 2021, the Texas Rangers outfielder is hitting .210/.369/.405 with 11 home runs.
For his career, Gallo is a .209/.332/.488 hitter.
He is expected to hit free agency in 2023, and is playing 2021, theoretically his first year of arbitration eligibility, under a one-year, $6.2 million contract.
In theory, he should be a bit cheaper to acquire than Reynolds, but Texas’ asking price has been high in the past: they won’t gift him to anybody.
Gallo is still young, at 27 years old, and is surprisingly athletic for a guy his size.
That athleticism gives him the ability to play center field.
He is not a Gold Glover, but he can do a better job in that position, which happens to be an area of need for the Yankees.
Could the two teams reach a deal?
1. Ketel Marte, 2B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Ketel Marte may be a bit injury-prone, but he remains one of the most underrated assets in MLB.
He is extremely valuable for a variety of reasons.
He is excellent offensively, with a career .286/.343/.450 line and 60 homers.
But he is also affordable.
Marte signed a five-year, $24 million contract in 2018, excellent value for a player of his caliber.
For this season, his base salary is $6 million, and it escalates to $8 million in 2022.
He carries club options of $10 and $12 million in 2023 and 2024.
Since he is a good offensive performer capable of playing second base and center field, two positions of need for the Yankees, he would make perfect sense for the Bombers.
He would, of course, be awfully expensive when it comes to acquisition cost.
Ketel Marte should be the primary target for the Yankees. Might cost a few big prospects but they don’t have much of a choice.
— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) June 7, 2021
It remains to be seen if the Arizona Diamondbacks, currently in last place of the National League West, will deal him.
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