The Yankees’ deadline math got a lot harder this week, and it starts with Cody Bellinger.
Monday’s MRI on Bellinger’s left hamstring brought the kind of news that shuts down a front office’s easy plan. What looked like a short stay on the injured list now points to a Grade 2 strain, which means the All-Star Game MVP is likely out until late August or September. That’s a far cry from the 10-day hope he had after leaving Saturday’s game in Philadelphia with discomfort.
And Bellinger isn’t the only problem. Aaron Judge’s best-case timetable appears to be the same, which leaves the Yankees staring at a clear need in the outfield before next Monday’s deadline.
They may need help behind the plate, too. Austin Wells has hit in 10 straight games, and backup Ali Sanchez is batting .333 against lefties, but the Yankees still want to improve the catching tandem.
The trouble is that the market may not cooperate.
According to an American League executive, the Twins are telling people they are buyers on orders from ownership. That matters because it likely takes Ryan Jeffers off the board, even though Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wanted to pair him with Wells. It also closes the door on a possible run at Byron Buxton, the Twins’ All-Star center fielder, who had a chance to be the only star outfielder moved this summer.
Another target is gone, too. The executive said the Yankees can also forget about Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, who hit 31 homers in his first full season last year and has already matched that total this season.
So if the Yankees can’t solve the outfield or catching issues through the usual routes, where do they turn?
“You go in looking to try and improve in certain areas,” Aaron Boone said before Monday night’s 9-5 win over the White Sox. “Sometimes it lines up, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you got to pivot and go add to a strength.”
That strength could be the bullpen, and the name at the center of it is Mason Miller.
The Yankees are expected to make a major push for the Padres’ closer, and one executive said, “I’ve heard they want Miller the most,” adding, “I don’t see anybody else making a huge push like the Yankees could. I just don’t see any other team that will be willing to give up as much as the Yankees would.”
That would be quite the swing, even for a team that already has David Bednar locked in as closer. Bednar hasn’t blown a save or allowed a run since the middle of May.
But Miller is putting together one of the most dominant seasons a reliever has ever had: a 2-1 record, 0.82 ERA, 27 saves in 27 chances, 80 strikeouts and 15 walks in 43 2/3 innings. His fastball averages 101 mph and has touched 104.
The question is whether the Padres would even listen. Miller came to San Diego last summer in a massive trade with the Athletics, one that cost them Leo De Vries - one of the best prospects in the majors - plus their Nos. 3, 13 and 17 prospects. De Vries, 19, is now ranked No. 2 in MLB Pipeline’s top 100.
That price tag is exactly why the Yankees may have to go big. Cashman has refused to move George Lombard Jr., the organization’s No. 1 prospect and a 19-year-old Triple-A shortstop, so any serious package would have to be built from the next tier.
One executive said the Padres would likely want an everyday position player as the centerpiece, because that’s what San Diego gave up for Miller in the first place.
“I think that the ask has got to be enormous,” the executive said. “Preller’s got to get back an everyday position player that has to be the main piece of the package because he gave up De Vries for Miller.
“I don’t know if anybody’s got enough to offer that makes a lot of sense for Preller.”
If the Yankees do make the call, the names in play could include High-A shortstop Dax Kilby and Triple-A pitchers Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange. The executive said it might take four or five pieces to get something done.
“I do think that it just comes down to a package with Kilby, Lagrange and maybe Rodriguez, too,” the executive said. “Does that at least start it for the Yankees? I don’t know.”
There’s also a chance the Padres would ask about Will Warren, whom two scouts recently told NJ.com could interest San Diego. Beyond that, the Yankees’ pitching depth has some complications: Ben Hess has dealt with an injury, Bryce Cunningham has had injuries, Thatcher Hurd is coming back from one, and Lagrange has been on the IL since July 2 with a shoulder issue.
That’s part of why the executive believes the headliner probably has to be a position player.
For now, the Yankees are left with a familiar deadline dilemma: they need help, the obvious targets are disappearing, and the one player who could truly change the conversation might cost more than they’re comfortable paying.
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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 🡒]