A Look At The Minors In Advance of The Trade Deadline

by James Vlietstra

July 29, 2026

***

For those of us that follow the minor leagues closely, this is a very exciting time of year.  The draft just concluded, the trade deadline is approaching, and the minor league affiliates are beginning to wrap up and with that comes deserving promotions.

This also brings the realization that because of the reduced number of MiLB affiliates and the recent limit on minor league players that was imposed, there is bound to be a heavy exodus of players in the upcoming weeks, as well.

Between the draft and the undrafted signings, the Yankees brought in 29 new players into the organization in the past couple of weeks.  Stateside, they are only allowed 165 rostered players.  With injuries and inning limits, not all 29 will be added to rosters immediately, but in time, it will happen.

At the end of the season, the Yankees have roughly 70 players who will be eligible for the Rule 5 (R5) Draft.  There's another dozen or so that are going to be minor league free agents.  The Yankees recently added Bradley Hanner to the 40-man roster to prevent him from exercising an opt out and losing him for nothing.

The reason I bring this up is the trade deadline this year is Monday, August 3 at 6:00 PM.  Trade season is upon us.  "Hug Watches" will happen any day a player is not in the lineup.  Many times the Yankees front office uses these players in an attempt to open up roster spots or trade away other fringe players to open up roster spots for these players going forward.

Currently, the Yankees are one of six MLB teams with 60+ wins.  They are safely in the playoff hunt.  However, with both Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge on the IL for the foreseeable future, the team needs some major upgrades, especially on offense.

MLB Pipeline recently updated the Yankees top 30 prospects, not including recent draftees. Here are some interesting things I noticed:

• First, nine have been acquired within the past 13 months, whether from draft, trade, or IFA. 

• Next, eight of their top 30 are R5 eligible. 

• Also, four of their top prospects are already on the 40-man roster, three of which have made their MLB debut in 2026.

Some of the players acquired since last July include Dax Kilby (2), Pico Kohn (11), Core Jackson (13), Kaeden Kent (14), Jack Cebert (15), Wilberson De Pena (17), Rory Fox (21), Sean Paul Linan (24), and Mac Heuer (26).  Unfortunately, several of these players have been injured and their IFA class was devastated but expect to see several new names included once the trades are complete and the 2026 draftees are included.

Here are some of the R5 players: Carlos LaGrange (4), Henry LaLane (5), Allen Facundo (9), Kyle Carr (12), Cade Smith (16), Jace Avina (20), Brock Selvidge (27), and Eric Reyzelman (28).  Additionally, here are some notable R5 players: Roderick Arias, Harrison Cohen, Garrett Martin, Colby Morales, Luis Serna, and Bryce Warrecker.

Elmer Rodriguez (3), Spencer Jones (7), Chase Hampton (22), and Brendan Beck (23) are all already on the 40-man roster.  A couple of players whose 40-man spot could be in peril or perhaps a trade could provide them with a new opportunity include Bradley Hanner, Kervin Castro, Luis Gil, and Oswaldo Cabrera.

A couple of the players that the Yankees could try to trade in packages from the Major League roster include Will Warren, Camilo Doval, Anthony Volpe, Ryan McMahon, and JC Escarra.  They also have impending free agents like Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm, Tim Hill, and Paul Goldschmidt that could all fetch a decent return.

In my opinion, George Lombard Jr., the team's top prospect, is dominating AAA and has earned his shot as the Yankees shortstop.  Rumor has it that if the team manipulates his service time and they wait until after August 15 to call him up, they will benefit down the road.  I would prefer they call him up immediately and give him enough time to get comfortable and settled in before the pennant race and playoffs begin.

Another prospect that was moved from a starter to a reliever in order to fast track his way to the Bronx until an injury delayed his promotion is Carlos LaGrange.  Although, I just saw on Twitter that he is back throwing and could be a potent weapon out of the bullpen pumping 103 MPH fastballs.  I would love to see him get his opportunity as well.

This coming week should prove to be a lot of fun.  Yankees Old Timers Day and the trade deadline at the top of the list.  Potentially a lot of players on the move and hopefully the right additions to help push this year's Yankees squad towards their 28th title.  Keep reading SSTN everyday and we'll continue to provide you with the best Yankees content available.

One more quick thing before I wrap this up.  Other teams do it all the time, why can't the Yankees?  Let's sign Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice to some long term contracts this offseason.