The New York Yankees can still afford to make one more move before the arrival of spring training, especially if it means finding a bat for the top of the lineup.
After Gavin Lux was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds, the options for the Yankees are thinning out if they want to improve the infield and top of the lineup.
While it was reported earlier Monday from ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the Yankees were discussing a potential blockbuster trade for Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres, some cold water was thrown on that idea.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the three-time batting champ and All-Star is reportedly “not seen as a fit” for the Bronx Bombers.
This is a complete 180 from what Passan reported earlier so it remains to be seen what’s smoke and what’s fire.
Arraez doesn’t bring a totally clean profile. While he’s led the league in batting average in each of the last three seasons, he doesn’t hit for power, draw walks or steal bases. On top of that, his defense is extremely poor, which is an issue the Yankees are trying to avoid.
With that said, having a player with a .323 career batting average in front of Aaron Judge isn’t the worst idea, and it could work out better than expected.
If Jazz Chisholm stays put at third base, the Yankees are likely considering DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera for the second base gig.
The Yankees need to do everything possible to get back to the World Series so this will be something to monitor ahead of spring training.
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