The New York Yankees have no choice but to turn over every rock at the MLB trade deadline — even if that means making deals with division rivals.
Desperate to upgrade the bullpen and the third base position, those are the two biggest needs for the Yankees going into the July 30 deadline.
While there are plenty of bullpen options to consider, the trade candidates at third base aren't as plentiful. However, the Tampa Bay Rays are clearly in sell mode going into the weekend.
In a proposed blockbuster trade by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Yankees surprisingly land two of the biggest trade chips in a deal with the Rays.
The proposed deal includes the Yankees receiving third baseman Isaac Paredes and closer Pete Fairbanks sending outfielder Everson Pereira, shortstop Roderick Arias, third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, second baseman Jorbit Vivas and right-handed pitcher Zach Messinger.
Parting ways with Arias (No. 4 prospect) and Pereira (No. 5 prospect) would be tough, but the latter is done for the season due to a torn UCL. Arias is only 19 years old with some incredible upside.
Vivas is also an intriguing prospect and is the No. 15 prospect while Cabrera is likely going to be a utility man for his career.
Adding Paredes, who has a 126 OPS+ over the last three seasons, would be a massive upgrade to the third base position. He has the versatility to play other spots on the infield, but he would be the Yankees everyday third baseman.
He would also provide some much-needed protection for Aaron Judge in the middle of the order with a 134 OPS+ from the four-hole.
Fairbanks is dealing with a bit of a down year with a 3.19 ERA in 36.2 innings. Despite his 93rd percentile fastball, Fairbanks' 22.7% strikeout rate is well below his career average (31.8%). So some positive regression could be coming.
Whether the Yankees would pull off this kind of deal remains to be seen, but it's the type of move that would show they are serious about getting back into the playoff race.
