The New York Yankees are all-in on 2026. But they aren’t going to trade just anyone to win this year.
The team intends to hold onto pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange and infielder George Lombard Jr., with beat reporter Brendan Kuty referring to them as “their only likely untouchables.”
The Yankees are 48-35 and one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. They have the league’s best run differential (+101) and boast a 52-31 Pythagorean win-loss record per Baseball Reference.
Despite losing seven of nine, including an “embarrassing” four-game sweep to the last-place Boston Red Sox, the Yankees still have a 99.8% chance of making the playoffs according to Baseball Reference
Report: George Lombard Jr., Carlos Lagrange are the Yankees’ Only Untouchable Prospects
GettyGeorge Lombard Jr. is one of two untouchable prospects in the Yankees’ farm system.
The Yankees have great depth in their farm system. Their starting pitching is elite, and they have more in the pipeline, like Elmer Rodriguez, Ben Hess and Chase Hampton.
But everyone is on the table except Lombard and Lagrange, according to Kuty.
“Last season, they were in the midst of a summer slide, yet they made eight trades to bolster their roster,” Kuty wrote for The Athletic on Monday. “Cashman wonât mess around this time either. Expect impact upgrades, and expect a few of the clubâs highly regarded prospects to be cashed in as trade chips.
“Their only likely untouchables appear to be Lagrange and shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr.”
Lombard, 21, is the team’s top prospect who is shooting through their system and is in Triple-A. He is a shortstop by trade but played third base at points in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, when Anthony Volpe was playing there earlier this year.
Despite his youth — he only turned 21 earlier this month — Lombard has a respectable .765 OPS in Triple-A this year. He is projected to make his major-league debut next season.
The Yankees are Looking to Add to Their Bullpen
Getty Camilo Doval has a minus-0.4 bWAR over two seasons with the Yankees.
Of course, the Yankees are setting Lagrange, their No. 4-rated prospect, as a potential deadline-style acquisition. They are transitioning the 23-year-old flamethrower as a back-end reliever, a la Joba Chamberlain or Mariano Rivera.
But Kuty pointed out how the Yankees will shop for more than one reliever over the next six weeks.
“The Yankees need help in the bullpen, particularly a high-end reliever or two to help to get the ball to closer David Bednar,” Kuty wrote. “For the most part, Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick have been dependable, and they hope top prospect Carlos Lagrange transitions from starting to becoming a flame-throwing stopper in the Bronx sometime in July.”
The Yankees acquired Bednar and fellow relievers Jake Bird and Camilo Doval last summer. But in 49 1/3 innings with the Yankees, Doval has only two saves and a 4.74 ERA, and Bird has a minus-0.6 bWAR and has been up and down between Triple-A and the majors.
So bullpen reinforcements and catcher should be the priorities, per Kuty, and GM Brian Cashman needs to prioritize these factors as the team gets healthy.
“The Yankees should go all in,” Kuty wrote. “It seems like the Yankees are angling to try their best to be at optimal health come October â similar to how the Los Angeles Dodgers managed their roster last year.
“The Yankees should feel like the favorites to emerge from the AL, and they should act like it by beefing up their weaknesses.”
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