The Yankees are heading into Monday’s 6 p.m. EDT trade deadline with a clear shopping list and a roster that still needs work. Catcher, the bullpen and maybe another bat or two remain on the table as the club tries to prop up a lineup that has slumped since Aaron Judge went on the injured list on June 2.
Saturday brought the first move of the deadline weekend, and it was a small one. Brian Cashman sent Camilo Doval to Pittsburgh in exchange for two minor league prospects, catcher Omar Alfonzo, 22, and outfielder Luis Cruz, 18. Doval’s uneven, below-standard run with the Yankees had already pushed him out of any meaningful late-season bullpen plans, so the deal fit the club’s broader push for relief help.
That bullpen search is still very much alive. The Yankees want a reliever who can miss bats and get ground balls, and that naturally pointed them toward Padres left-hander Adrian Morejon. But San Diego rejected the Yankees’ offer of starter Will Warren, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Morejon makes sense as a target because he’s a hard-throwing lefty with swing-and-miss ability and is set to become a free agent after the season. Warren, meanwhile, comes with four more years of control and has been a durable starter since the start of last season, even if his results have been uneven.
Before Friday’s 6.2 shutout innings against the Cubs, he had a 6.45 ERA since June 8. Warren and lefty teammate Ryan Weathers would likely be squeezed out of a postseason rotation if “The Big Four” - Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon - are all available.
The Yankees are also known to have interest in former closer Clay Holmes, who is rehabbing from a leg fracture and could eventually move back to relief work by October. A bat remains part of the conversation too, and the Yankees added one Sunday afternoon by trading with Washington for Luis Garcia Jr.
Garcia was leading the National League with a .560 slugging percentage, and the price to get him was not steep. The Yankees sent relievers Yovanny Cruz and Jake Bird, who had recently been sent to Triple-A, along with a pair of mid-level minor league right-handed pitchers to Washington. Garcia is eligible for free agency after the 2027 season.
Even with that move, the Yankees still appear to be looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder. Garcia is mostly a first base/DH type, so this feels like a partial answer rather than the final one, especially with uncertainty hanging over Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton returning in 2026 and returning to form.
One right-handed outfield option disappeared from the board Saturday night when the Royals sent Lane Thomas to the Braves, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Thomas can play all three outfield spots and has posted an .800 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, with an .868 mark overall over his last 23 games.
Another name to keep in mind is Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor, whose recent surge has raised his trade value. Taylor is a free agent after this season and is hitting .354 with seven homers and a 1.311 OPS over his last 23 games.
There was also a major ripple elsewhere on the deadline market when the Dodgers landed Tigers ace Tarik Skubal late Saturday night. They did it by parting with prospects Nos. 5, 7 and 17 in MLB Pipeline’s rankings, which still came as something of a surprise with plenty of deadline time left. By comparison, the Yankees’ similarly rated prospects are pitchers Henry Lalane and Thatcher Hurd and outfielder Wilson Rodriguez.
That kind of organizational pitching depth could give the Yankees options over the next 36 hours, depending on how aggressive they want to be. For now, Sunday morning in Chicago has been quiet. And if you’re the Yankees, at least one thing is clear: Skubal did not end up with the AL East-leading Rays.
In Other News...
Yankees Deadline Push Now Hinges On One Catching Upgrade
The Yankees are still trying to make one more meaningful move before the deadline, and the most interesting part of their search has centered on catcher. They want a right-handed bat behind the plate, a sensible fit for a roster that is already being pushed toward added bullpen help and another right-handed hitter elsewhere, and they have not been shy about working the market with that kind of urgency.
Tyler Stephenson, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Jeffers have all come up as possible answers, which shows how broad the search has become and how competitive the market is likely to be. For a club intent on upgrading in more than one spot, the catching pursuit may end up shaping how the rest of the deadline unfolds, especially if the front office has to decide how far it wants to go to land the right fit. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees May Have A Trade Answer For Their Injury Hit Lineup
The Yankees lineup has been strained by the injuries to Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, and the front office has been doing what it can to survey a thin trade market for help. Catchers and infielders are scarce in particular, which makes the search more difficult and pushes the conversation toward whatever productive bats might actually become available before the deadline.
One name worth watching is Randy Arozarena, a player the Yankees know well enough to appreciate as a possible fit in a lineup looking for more punch. The Seattle outfielder has put together strong offensive numbers this season, and his situation could make him one of the more interesting names to track if New York decides it needs to act on the market rather than wait for reinforcements from within. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Just Got A Yankees Trade Twist To Process
The Yankees are adding another wrinkle to their infield and batting-order picture, with ESPNs Jeff Passan reporting they are reportedly trading for Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. It is the kind of move that immediately invites lineup speculation because Garcia gives New York another capable left-handed bat, and any extra offense around the middle of the order tends to matter in October-minded planning.
But the fit is not as simple as just slotting in one more name and moving on. Garcias arrival adds depth, yet it also brings a real juggling act for the Yankees as they try to sort out playing time and keep the lineup balanced without creating unnecessary friction on the bench. The upside is obvious, but the next question is how New York makes all of the pieces work once everyone is actually in the mix. [Read more 🡒]