The Yankees once passed on a chance to land Matt Olson because Anthony Volpe was off limits.
That detail has resurfaced this week, and it says plenty about how much the organization once believed in Volpe. He came into pro ball as a top-10 prospect, the kind of name that made the Yankees hesitate before putting him in a deal. But the shortstop hasn’t quite become the player the club expected in the Bronx, even if there’s still time for him to turn things around.
The old report, from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, has been making the rounds again. It noted that New York declined to include Volpe in a trade package for Olson. The timing is notable, too: that report came out on the same day the Athletics sent Olson to the Atlanta Braves.
Since then, Olson has been exactly what the Braves wanted - an everyday force and a true star. For the Yankees, his left-handed power would have looked awfully good in their lineup, especially with that swing aimed at the short porch in right field.
Instead, New York leaned on veterans for a stretch and has since found Ben Rice, who has emerged as a star in his own right. But the biggest takeaway from the old trade talk is still Volpe.
The Yankees valued him highly enough to keep him out of an Olson deal, and that’s what makes the conversation sting now. Four years later, it’s easy to look back and think Olson in pinstripes would have been a lot nicer.
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