The New York Yankees have a great shot to win back-to-back pennants, but there’s still one spot in the lineup holding them back.
Every night, the Yankees trot out a third baseman who doesn’t give them much chance at a big offensive performance. Whether it’s Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, or eventually D.J. LeMahieu, the hot corner stands out as a problematic position.
Fortunately, Jazz Chisholm Jr. proved last season that he can flip back and forth between second and third, so the Yankees really just need to find another infielder. They’ve got three months to do it before the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
One baseball writer believes the St. Louis Cardinals may possess the perfect solution.
On Sunday, Dylan Sanders of Yankees on SI pitched Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan, who is under team control through 2027, as a top Yankees trade target to fix their infield deficiency.
“The Cardinals are in the midst of a rebuild and this could be by far their best chance to move on from Donovan. He has been spectacular this season, having more trade value than ever,” Sanders wrote.
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“The 28-year-old has posted a .367/.406/.541 slash line with three home runs and 15 RBI. He leads the NL in batting average. He could fill in to that third base role or open up the option to move Jazz Chisholm to the hot corner and have Donovan at second base.”
Donovan, 28, is making only $2.85 million this season, so he’d hardly add strain to the New York payroll in the short term. And even if he regresses back to his career norm at the plate, there is nothing wrong whatsoever with a 120 OPS+.
Donovan has played 145 games at second base in his career compared to 46 at third. He could also play left field, shortstop, or first base if the Yankees desperately needed it.
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