The New York Yankees might feel comfortable with the position players they have right now, but if they’re going to make a move at the trade deadline, one would think a third baseman would be the priority.
Just before this article was written, the Yankees’ starting third baseman on Thursday, Jorbit Vivas, hit a solo home run in a 1-0 victory that sealed a sweep of the Texas Rangers.
But if a Vivas-Oswald Peraza platoon doesn’t feel secure enough to general manager Brian Cashman, there could be other options on the trade market ahead of the Jul. 31 deadline.
One option that might catch the attention of some Yankees fans? How about a reunion with a player those fans may have once argued in favor of winning the Rookie of the Year award over Shohei Ohtani?
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller named former Yankees third baseman/outfielder Miguel Andujar as the Athletics’ “most likely” trade chip. Andujar, now 30, could be a fascinating return story for the Yankees if they decided to make a play for him.
“(The A’s) don’t have a whole lot to put on the trade block, assuming they’ll only be looking to unload the impending free agents as they flirt with reaching the end of their rebuild,” Miller wrote. “Miguel Andujar could be a good one, though.
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“He hit .285 last season while resurfacing for the first time since his big breakout in 2018, and he has bumped that batting average up to .312 in the early going. Andujar can also play first, third, left or right, so he could be a solution for darn near any contender if he continues hitting reasonably well.”
Not only is Andujar batting over .300, but he’s doing it without striking out and providing a tiny bit of pop as well, with a .444 slugging percentage. Unfortunately, his defense at third base is still lackluster, with -3 outs above average on only 22 attempts.
While the Yankees wouldn’t likely be bringing Andujar back to start every day, he would be an interesting platoon fit if Peraza can’t find his form at the plate in time to save his job.
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