(Love me some Lucroy. Courtesy of the AP)
The past 3 days have been spent on the realistic parts of the Yankee deadline position. We know what they have, we know what they need, we know who they're after, and we know what stories are out there right now. There's not much more to do about that other than watch it play out and hope Cash can pull off some magic, so why not expand the mind a bit and think outside the box of trade reality? There are some higher-profile players out there who would be even better additions for the Yankees now and for the future than the players already discussed this week. If Cash wanted to get bold, and the other GMs were willing to listen, here are some big swings the Yanks could take to try to really upgrade their team.
Jonathan Lucroy- With the Brewers reported to be in sell mode and the Yankees desperately needing a catcher, this would be a match made in heaven for them on so many levels. Lucroy is young (27), can hit (.278/.324/.425 career hitter and trending up), can field his position well, and is under contract through 2016 for just $9 million total (!!!!) with a $5 million team option in 2017. He's had some injury problems before, including earlier this season, and it's highly unlikely Milwaukee would dump him for all the reasons listed above. He would also be a great get and would solve the Yankees' catching problems for the near future.
Brandon Belt- This is the dream trade target of many fans and bloggers alike if the Yanks and Giants hooked up for a deadline deal (possibly for Phil Hughes) and it's easy to see why. Belt is a 25-year-old lefty swinging first baseman with the ability to play an outfield corner if needed. He hasn't hit for a lot of over-the-fence power yet, but he's got a .334 career wOBA and a strong 10.4% BB rate. He's also still in his pre-arbitration years and won't be eligible for free agency until 2018. There's little reason for SF to give up Belt for a Hughes rental, even though they are reportedly not gaga about him, but he'd be a great young bat to add to future lineups at almost no cost.
Chase Headley- He's been on the radar before, no time more than last season, and after that MVP-caliber performance it's been a real tough 2013 for Headley. He's been hurt and not hitting all that well (.229/.330/.359 in 355 PA), and the talk about his future with the Padres is once again up for discussion. They aren't making any progress in their rebuild efforts, and although they've discussed a willingness to renew Headley's deal there's no reason to yet with another arb year in play next season. It'd be a classic case of buying low if you're Cash, but as discussed in Mike Eder's post on Headley earlier this week he still won't come cheap. A good matchup for both sides on paper. Probably not going to happen though.
Giancarlo Stanton- What more do you need to say about this guy? He's 23, he has elite level right-handed power, and he's a bargain on arb years until 2017. Stanton is the exact type of player the Yankee farm system has failed to develop since Robbie Cano and the exact type of player that their system severely hampers them from acquiring. They don't match up that well with the Marlins' needs right now, and with the way that team has been playing lately and the high praise for their young core, they might be gearing up for another cheap, youth-inspired playoff run in a few years before Loria guts the team again. Still, if Cash wanted to get nuts he could call them up and start piling top prospects on the table.
** Coming up tomorrow- The Predictions. **
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