Brian Cashman has a decision to make, and the trade deadline clock is ticking louder by the day.
The Yankees have gotten some help back from the injured list, which gives the 59-year-old general manager a reason to stay put before Monday, Aug. 3.
But the list of problems in front of him is hard to ignore. Catcher.
Bullpen. Shortstop.
Third base. Those issues have pushed New York toward at least exploring the market, and Houston is suddenly looking like a place worth calling.
The Astros’ latest move only sharpened that possibility. On Wednesday, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reported that Houston traded starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., southpaw Colton Gordon and cash considerations to the Brewers for outfield prospect Jadyn Fielder. With the Astros now beginning to move veterans, the Yankees have reason to believe more names could follow.
That matters because New York needs help in several spots, starting behind the plate. Austin Wells hasn’t locked down the catcher job, and Christian Vázquez fits the kind of short-term upgrade the Yankees could chase.
The 35-year-old is a two-time World Series winner with a right-handed bat, and he’s hitting .220/.277/.341 with five home runs, 22 RBIs and 14 walks in 60 games, or 173 at-bats. He has not made an error in 452 innings behind the plate this season, and his plus-2 catcher framing runs rank 19th among 61 catchers on Baseball Savant.
With an expiring contract, he would also fit the rental profile.
The left side of the infield is another problem area, and Houston has options there too. Isaac Paredes has been discussed as a target for New York before, and for good reason.
He can handle shortstop and second base, but third base is where he has spent most of his career, logging 4,131 1/3 innings there over seven seasons. The two-time All-Star is batting .254 with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs and a 15.9% strikeout rate in 91 games, production that would be a clear step up from Ryan McMahon.
Jeremy Peña is another Astros infielder who would look good in pinstripes. The 28-year-old was an All-Star for the first time last season and finished 10th in AL MVP voting.
He has missed about half of this season because of injury, but in 51 games he has still put up six home runs, 22 RBIs, 15 walks and 1.9 WAR. Peña has one year of arbitration left, while Paredes carries a $13.35 million conditional club option for 2027, so either player would bring more than a one-year fix.
The bullpen is also in play, even though the Yankees have the best ERA in baseball. Inconsistent arms like Camilo Doval and Jake Bird have made relief help a priority, and Houston has a few names that could be available.
Bryan Abreu is one of them. He is on track for free agency, and his overall 5.81 ERA in 34 appearances and 31 innings is not pretty.
Still, he has been much better lately, posting a 2.31 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two saves over his last 12 games, including nine scoreless outings. During that stretch, opponents have hit .225, below their .238 expected rate, according to Baseball Savant.
Steven Okert is another expiring-contract arm. The 35-year-old left-hander has a 2.31 ERA, his best mark in six seasons, along with a 0.836 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. His slider has generated a 34.2% whiff rate, and opponents have been held to a .525 OPS.
Enyel De Los Santos rounds out the group of pending free-agent relievers. The 30-year-old right-hander has finished 11 games and picked up five saves in 41 appearances. His 4.33 ERA is ordinary, but his recent work has been sharper: in his last six outings, covering seven innings, he has allowed one earned run on four hits while striking out six.
The Yankees do not face the Astros again until late August, which removes any chance to get a close look in person before the deadline. That only adds to the urgency. If New York wants help from Houston, it may need to move before another contender beats it there.
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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 🡒]