The New York Yankees are expected to make a strong push for Luis Arraez before the MLB trade deadline, but first may need to clear the way by shipping out a well-liked player.
The Yankees are looking to upgrade their infield with Arraez, but his addition would create a logjam that SI.com writer Joseph Randazzo believes would be solved by trading away Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Yankees May Need to Move Jazz Chisholm Jr. Before Landing Luis Arraez
The Yankees have already been linked to Arraez, with the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reporting that the Bronx Bombers “like” the infielder, who is set to move at the trade deadline. Randazzo added that Arraez would represent a much-needed upgrade to the lineup.
“If the New York Yankees traded for Luis Arráez today, he would be their third-best hitter by OPS,” Randazzo wrote. “He would sit behind Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, who hasn’t played a game since a series in late May against the Oakland Athletics. While Arráez has been seen as a fit for years, defensively, it hasn’t always made sense.”
Randazzo wrote that it “wouldn’t make much sense” to have both Chisholm and Arraez together, and believes the Yankees could find a trade partner for Chisholm.
“The St. Louis Cardinals are one team that could acquire Chisholm,” Randazzo wrote. “While they have JJ Wetherholt playing second base, there’s a bit of a hole at third, and that is a position that Chisholm has experience in if St. Louis wants to get creative. Their third basemen have a combined 77 wRC+, and Chisholm’s 99 would actually be an upgrade.”
In Randazzo’s trade idea, the Yankees would receive closer Riley O’Brien, which would free them up to make a run at Arraez. It would also allow the Yankees to focus their top assets on landing Arraez and potentially take them out of the running for San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller, another rumored trade target.
“In a deal like that, the Yankees would feel more comfortable trading with the Giants for Arráez,” Randazzo wrote. “Arráez may not have the power that Chisholm does, but he has an elite hit tool that would give them stellar lineup depth. This season, Arráez is hitting .320/.359/.446 with a 120 wRC+. By acquiring him, the Yankees would also still have a great defensive second baseman.”
Yankees Seen as Top Landing Spot for Luis Arraez
Others believe the Yankees will make a strong push to land Arraez. Reporter Mike Petriello of MLB.com listed the Bronx Bombers as one of six teams that could conceivably land him, but noted that he’s an “imperfect roster fit” for the Yankees.
“Incumbent second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has had a down year, by his standards, but he’s hardly atop the list of Yankee problems,” Petriello wrote. “With Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt at first, and the potential that Judge and/or Giancarlo Stanton end up taking designated hitter time, it’s not clear how this would even work – as much as Yankee fans might like it to.”
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