The New York Yankees would love to have Eugenio Suárez.
Third base is New York’s biggest lineup hole at the moment, and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ star has been the best offensive third baseman in baseball this season. With the trade deadline looming, Suárez is one of the biggest dominoes to fall–whether he gets traded ahead of free agency or not.
The Yankees could also really use Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly, another impending free agent with a recent playoff pedigree. Would they stand a chance at landing both in one fell swoop?
Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com believes it’s possible, predicting earlier this week that New York would acquire both D-backs stars in an eight-player blockbuster.
“Suarez’s comments to reporters about the Yanks during All-Star week – ‘If I go over there, I’ll try my best to help them win a World Series’ – are put to the test,” Caldera wrote. “One day before MLB’s July 31 trade deadline, the Yankees land Suarez, starter Merrill Kelly and lefty reliever Jalen Beeks from the Diamondbacks.”
“In exchange, the Yankees send right-hander Clayton Beeter, top minor league pitching prospects Ben Hess and Bryce Cunningham, outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Roc Riggio to Arizona.”
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Yes, Suárez and Kelly are both rentals. And this is just one writer’s opinion, but that return package, especially for a combination of the two, feels a little light.
The prospects teams want most from the Yankees right now, assuming shortstop George Lombard Jr. is off the table, are likely outfielder Spencer Jones, recently-debuted pitcher Cam Schlittler, and Double-A fireballer Carlos Lagrange. This package has none of them.
Hess and Cunningham are both having good seasons too, so maybe there’s an outside shot the Yankees can avoid giving those others away. But the Diamondbacks are within their rights to demand the world, because a ton of teams would love to have Suárez, Kelly, or both.
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