The Yankees have work to do before the trade deadline, and the list is not a short one. They need a power bat behind the plate, help in the bullpen, another hitter who can matter, and maybe even some veteran rotation insurance. With the Red Sox and Rays already showing they’re willing to jump into the market, New York can’t afford to sit around and wait for the perfect deal to appear.
That’s where the farm system comes in. Rather than building every package around George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees could lean on a few lesser-known prospects who are turning heads in their own way. None of these names are household stuff, but each has the kind of season that can make a rival front office pay attention.
Xavier Rivas is the clearest example. The left-hander isn’t exactly invisible - Pipeline has him 25th in the system - but his recent run has pushed him into a different conversation.
Over his last seven starts, he has posted a 1.07 ERA, a 0.68 WHIP and a .092 batting average against, all of which lead the minors in that span. He has also struck out 101 batters in 69 1/3 innings overall, and his changeup gives him a real separator.
He’s looking less like a throw-in and more like a legitimate second piece in a deal. A team like the Padres, who are always hunting pitching, could see him as a fit in a swap for Adrian Morejon, who is likely the best reliever available this summer.
Rivas has the feel of a left-handed Drew Thorpe.
DJ Gladney is another name that could sneak into the conversation. His Double-A breakout has the same kind of shape as Dillon Lewis’ rise last summer, and that helped Lewis land a centerpiece role in the Ryan Weathers trade.
Gladney, still unranked, has hammered 17 homers with an .800 OPS at Somerset. The 25-year-old former White Sox draftee, a 16th-round pick in 2019, looks like the sort of bat a fringe contender could want.
If the Marlins decide to move from their bullpen surplus - Lake Bachar, Anthony Bender, John King, and Michael Petersen are all mentioned as possible pieces - Gladney could be the kind of secondary hitter that helps make a deal work.
Then there’s Stiven Marinez, the sort of teenage lottery ticket the Yankees seem to tuck into trade talks every year. The 18-year-old shortstop sits two spots behind Wilberson De Pena in MLB Pipeline’s post-Draft Yankees top 30, with De Pena at 17th and Marinez at 19th.
Marinez’s numbers are eye-catching enough anyway: a .298 average, five homers and 28 steals in his second straight summer in Rookie Ball. But the bigger point is what he can do in a larger package.
If the Yankees are trying to land a controllable player, a young middle infielder like Marinez can help sweeten the offer. And in this part of the roster-building cycle, a teenaged shortstop should not be the thing that keeps New York from making a move.
In Other News...
Yankees Just Lost A Deadline Target They Could Not Afford To Lose
The Yankees went into deadline season looking for help behind the plate, with a right-handed bat at catcher near the top of the wish list and an outfield upgrade also in play. For a while, Minnesota looked like one of the cleaner fits, since Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton were both names that could have addressed needs the Yankees have been trying to solve as July winds down.
Instead, the Twins have taken those names off the board, leaving New York to keep scanning the market for alternatives. The Mets have become part of that conversation, with the Yankees at least exploring whether a deal for Tyrone Taylor or Luis Torrens could make sense, while interest in Francisco Alvarez comes with a steep asking price that makes any move there far from simple. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Lose Another Deadline Fit As Cashman Runs Out Of Time
Spencer Steers injury took one more name off the Yankees deadline board, and it came at a time when Brian Cashman is still trying to sort out how aggressively to attack the outfield market. The Reds outfielder had been one of the more logical fits for a club looking for right-handed help, but his availability disappeared just as the Yankees continue to weigh a handful of other options with varying appeal.
Lane Thomas, Jo Adell, Jorge Polanco and George Springer remain among the names in the mix, though none comes without some kind of drawback. With the deadline clock ticking, Cashman is left trying to balance urgency against fit, and the list of realistic targets keeps getting thinner as the market sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Deadline Buzz Points To A Rotation Move Fans Will Recognize
The trade deadline always has a way of pulling familiar names back into the conversation, and this one fits the Yankees usual search for pitching help. Seattles rotation depth gives other clubs a reason to ask around, and Emerson Hancock has the kind of profile that tends to draw interest: young, controllable, and still early enough in his career to fit a team looking beyond just the next few weeks.
For New York, the appeal is obvious because the front office rarely passes on a chance to add another arm if the price is right. The wrinkle is that the Yankees may not be alone, with Chicago also believed to be involved, which could turn a straightforward fit into a more competitive market before the deadline gets here. [Read more 🡒]