The Yankees are back from the All-Star break with the trade deadline creeping closer, and Brian Cashman could have some tough calls ahead once New York opens Friday against the Dodgers. With the deadline set to hit on Monday, Aug. 3, the next two and a half weeks could reshape the roster in a hurry.
That means the Yankees may need to send players out as well as bring them in, especially if they want to chase the kind of upgrades fans are already dreaming about. The big names floating around include the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman and the Padres’ Mason Miller. To make that kind of move happen, New York may have to part with some familiar faces.
Anthony Volpe is one of the names that stands out first. The left side of the infield has been a problem, and Volpe’s season at shortstop has done little to quiet that concern.
Since making his season debut in mid-May, he has hit .246/.342/.326 with one home run and 13 RBIs in 45 games. His 12.7% walk rate is the one real bright spot, but the rest of the offensive profile has been rough, including a 33.7% hard-hit rate and a 4.0% barrel rate, per Baseball Savant.
Even with the bat lagging, Volpe still carries some appeal because of his defense, his age and his team control. He is 25 and still has two arbitration years left, which gives him value to another club that might want to take a shot on him as a rehab project. If that kind of offer comes along, the Yankees probably shouldn’t hesitate, especially with his offensive numbers not helping his case and his value potentially slipping later.
Ryan Weathers also looks like a strong trade candidate. Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are expected back from the injured list at some point, and that will squeeze one of the healthy arms out of the rotation picture. Will Warren has been mentioned as a possible bullpen option, but Weathers seems like the more likely trade piece.
New York got Weathers from the Marlins in the offseason, and his first half with the Yankees was a mixed bag. He finished the All-Star break at 3-7 with a 4.15 ERA, 110 strikeouts and 27 walks in 97 2/3 innings over 18 starts.
That workload was the most he has handled in his six-year career, and the wear showed late. His ERA sat at 3.14 through his first 10 outings before jumping to 5.58 over his last eight, a stretch that included a 2-6 record for New York.
The fit has clearly run its course, and a deadline deal could give both sides a reset. Weathers, a former 2018 first-rounder, won’t hit free agency until 2029, so he would be more than a rental for a team looking for pitching help. His $1.35 million salary also makes him easy to fit for contenders, especially if they want to use him out of the bullpen.
Ryan McMahon belongs in the same conversation, maybe even more so. The Yankees still have a mess on the left side of the infield, and McMahon has not done much to solve it. He arrived from the Rockies last season, and the early returns have not improved much in 2026.
McMahon is hitting .214 with a .655 OPS, nine home runs, 26 RBIs and a 0.3 WAR in 77 games. That production would be hard to live with for any player, but it looks even worse when you factor in his $16 million annual salary, which ranks seventh on the team this season. His defense has not been enough to offset the bat, either, as his .963 fielding percentage is the fourth-worst of his career.
The Yankees should be looking to move on and upgrade at third base. McMahon is due another $16 million next season before reaching free agency in 2027, so this is the time to find a team willing to take the gamble. Even if the return is modest, getting out from under the frustration would still count as a win for Boone & Co.
Then there is George Lombard Jr., the prospect who could become part of a bigger deal. At 21, he is already the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect and No. 20 overall in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He is currently on the injured list with injured fingers, but his season line still stands out: 10 home runs, 27 RBIs, 50 walks, 12 stolen bases and a .263/.396/.475 slash line in 64 games and 236 at-bats across Triple-A, Double-A and the Florida Complex League.
The Yankees have every reason to keep Lombard and see whether his talent turns into big-league production. But the reality of deadline shopping is simple: the best prospects often become the price of doing business. If New York is serious about landing one of those headline targets, Lombard is the kind of piece that could have to go.
It would hurt to watch him leave and then reach the ceiling people expect. Still, if moving him helps bring back a player who can push the Yankees toward ending their 17-year World Series title drought, plenty of fans would live with it.
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Not everyone sees that patience as a virtue. Adam Schein has been openly skeptical about whether Volpe is ready for the majors, and the chatter has only sharpened as rival clubs start to enter the picture in trade speculation. With Jose Caballero having looked like an upgrade at shortstop, the Yankees are at least facing a real question about how long they can keep treating Volpe as untouchable. [Read more 🡒]