The New York Yankees are going through a rough stretch. Outside of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees offense is starting to struggle. They rank No. 19 in runs for July despite ranking No.1 on the season. Alex Verdugo started the season strong but has slashed .226/.261/.368 since May 8. With the trade deadline on July 30, the Yankees could look for an upgrade in the outfield. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller suggested Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox as an option to give the team a boost.
“The White Sox centerfielder is making $12.5M this season (a little over $4M prorated as of July 30) and $15M in 2025 before $20M club options for 2026 and 2027,” wrote Miller. “Not only would acquiring his slugging prowess spruce up the 2024 lineup, but having Robert under contract for up to three more years would help soften the blow if Soto signs elsewhere this offseason.”
After starting the season 49-21 the Yankees had the best record in baseball on June 12. However, they have the worst record in baseball in their last 23 games (6-17).
Luis Robert Jr. Could Give the Yankees’ Offense a Boost
Robert signed a six-year, $50 million contract extension with the White Sox in 2020 before even making his big league debut. However, the once No. 3 prospect in baseball has struggled with staying healthy. He has been placed on the injured list seven times since making his MLB debut in 2020. This season, Robert went on the injured list on April 6 with a right hip flexor strain.
Robert played over 100 games for the first time in his career last season. In 2023, he slashed .264/.315/.542, hitting 38 home runs and winning his first career Silver Slugger. Robert returned to the lineup on June 4.
Since his return, he has eight home runs and a .802 OPS. He has a .791 OPS for the season. That would put him just behind Giancarlo Stanton for the fourth-best OPS on the Yankees. Stanton is currently on the injured list. The Yankees could use a bat like Robert’s while he recovers.
Defensively, Robert is primarily a center fielder. The Yankees could do some shuffling in the outfield if they want his bat in the lineup. Judge can play right field if the Yankees were to acquire a centerfielder at the deadline.
Brian Cashman’s Thoughts on 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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