Yankees Advised to Target Astros 2-Time All-Star Amid Aaron Judge’s Absence

The New York Yankees were recently dealt a major blow when it was learned that three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge would be out for 4-6 weeks after suffering a stress fracture in his ribcage. New York is going to need a right-handed bat at some point, as this could potentially take a while, especially leading up to the trade deadline.

Fortunately, the injury is not thoracic outlet syndrome, as the Yankees had feared. Unfortunately though, the Yankees cannot afford to sit idly.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed a few trade targets the Yankees should consider while Judge is out. Among them was Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes.

“Judge is a right fielder, whereas Paredes is a third baseman,” Rymer wrote. “But that is a position where an upgrade over Ryan McMahon would be welcome, and the appeal of Paredes is all in a right-handed stick that produces decent power. He has 100 home runs in 624 career games.”

How This Could Work

Obviously, as Rymer notes, the Yankees could stick Paredes at third base, his natural position. But another thing they could do is play him at second base, move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to center field, a spot he played in 2023 with the Miami Marlins, and try Cody Bellinger in right field, at least while they wait for Judge to return.
Adding Paredes would give the Yankees a lot of options, so it wouldn’t be the worst thing for them to trade for him, even if he isn’t the best fit. After a strong start to the season, he has cooled down a little. The 27-year-old utility man is hitting .238/.331/.400 with eight home runs, 28 RBI and a .731 OPS, but his numbers are still respectable, and he would be a good fit for the Yankees as they look for ways to fill the void left by Judge’s injury.
Losing Judge is a big blow for the Yankees, but somebody like Paredes could fill the void in the lineup quite nicely. It might be wise for the Yankees to go ahead and get on the phone with teams that may be selling just so they don’t have to wait so long for Judge to return and not have at least another presence in the lineup.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt for them to jump the market a little bit, knowing that Judge is going to be out for a significant amount of time.

Why Yankees Should Act Fast

Another reason why it would be smart for the Yankees to act now is because they are right behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, just a half-game out of first place.

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If they wait too much longer, they could lose ground. They are playing better baseball lately, while the Rays are struggling, but the Rays are going to try to take advantage of Judge’s absence and hope to put a little bit of distance between themselves and the Bronx Bombers.

So, it makes sense for the Yankees to act quickly and add some insurance.

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