The New York Yankees are 60-44. They are just two games back of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. A 10-22 stretch has brought to light the offensive deficiencies outside of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. The team will have an opportunity to bring in reinforcements at the July 30 trade deadline. DJ LeMahieu’s spot at third base needs an upgrade, but fans should not expect a reunion with former Yankee and “fan favorite” Gio Urshela, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty.
“Don’t expect it to happen. The 32-year-old has an ugly 75 OPS+,” Kuty wrote answering a reader question regarding a reunion with Urshela. “His average exit velocity (85.8 mph) is far down from his career average (88.6 mph).”
Yankees Could Use an Upgrade From LeMahieu
The Yankees clearly need a bat. The Yankees offense ranks No. 19 in runs in July. They ranked inside the top 10 in April, May and June. Struggling greatly, DJ LeMahieu needs to be replaced as an everyday player if the Yankees offense wants to turn things around. LeMahieu has a .179 batting average in 42 games this season.
The acquisition of a third baseman “would allow the Yankees to use DJ LeMahieu in a platoon at first base with Ben Rice and occasionally at second base and DH as well,” wrote The Athletic’s Jim Bowden on July 25.
However, Urshela is not the type of player that would replace LeMahieu as an everyday player. He plays solid defense but, unfortunately, the Yankees are lacking production at the plate.
“Defensively, he has graded solidly in terms of Outs Above Average at 1, but LeMahieu has been better at 5. I understand that Urshela is a Yankees fan favorite,” wrote Kuty. “From 2019 to 2021, it was a joy for most to watch Urshela and his infectious smile make acrobatic plays at third base as he hit .292 in pinstripes. He doesn’t appear to be that player anymore. If the Yankees want to upgrade at third base, they can do better.”
The Yankees have better options if they look to replace LeMahieu through trade. The Tampa Bay Rays traded Randy Arozarena, indicating a potential fire sale. Bowden proposed a trade for Isaac Paredes for the Yankees on July 25. He would certainly be a better option than Urshela. Urshela is slashing .249/.287/.336 for the Detroit Tigers.
Yankees at the Trade Deadline
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed to reporters on July 9 that the team will “be open-minded to a lot of different things” ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.
“We definitely have areas to improve upon and we’ll do our best to do so,” Cashman said.
In 2022, the Yankees started 61-23 before playing sub-.500 the rest of the way. Ultimately, they were swept by the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros. This season could shape up to be the same if the Yankees don’t turn things around.
“Thankfully, we got out of the gates really strong, so hopefully that cushion will allow us to work through this, hopefully sooner than later, because it’s gone on long enough,” Cashman said.
In 2022, the Yankees tried to right the ship with the acquisitions of Andrew Benintendi, Frankie Montas and Harrison Bader. Those additions did not yield the results the Yankees had hoped for, but 2024 could be a different story.
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