The New York Yankees certainly could use another infielder. Would their crosstown rivals consider trading them one?
It’s been a strong start to the season for both the Yankees and New York Mets. But while the Bronx Bombers struggle to find any production from their third base position, the Mets have so many capable infielders that they might end up trading one away.
The Mets’ Jeff McNeil just made his season debut after missing the first four weeks with a right oblique strain. That forced the Mets to send Brett Baty, who was swinging the bat well, to Triple-A.
McNeil has two years remaining on the four-year, $50 million contract he signed with the Mets, with a club option available for 2027. If Baty, Luisangel Acuña, or even Ronny Mauricio makes a strong enough case for his spot, could the two-time All-Star be traded?
On Sunday, Dylan Sanders of Yankees on SI named McNeil as a possible trade fit for the Yanks, which would presumably shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. from second base back to third, where he played after arriving in a trade last July.
“McNeil just recently made his season debut, but still has some trade value as a consistently solid player on the middle of the infield,” Sanders wrote. “He has a .257/.332/.380 slash line over the last three years and is a more-than-solid defensive presence.”
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Though McNeil would add a considerable load to the Yankees’ payroll, he could be attainable without giving up top prospects. And the Yankees, frankly, don’t have a ton of strong prospects to give up in comparison to other contenders.
The Mets will be contenders, so they won’t be “selling” McNeil with his value at a high point. They’d be the ones initiating the trade, if anything, so the Yankees would be in a position to buy low on a former batting champion.
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