SSTN Mailbag: Trade Targets, Jazz, and Injured Prospects!

I feel like the Yankee teams of our worst nightmares. For those of us who have followed the team for the last 7-8 years, we greatly fear Yankee teams that seem to be made of crystal. Every time they move, they seem to get hurt. That was the Yankees' reputation for quite some time, and I'm not sure the team has totally shaken it. Lately, I think I'm earning a similar reputation.

I told all of you about my "hilarious" bowling injury...where I eventually found out that in addition to a nasty flexor strain, I also had a partially torn UCL lurking from my pitching days. That has been bad enough (I'm not terribly good at doing nothing). This past weekend, I took a bad step down the stairs and likely am dealing with a stress fracture around my big toe and associated metatarsal. Giancarlo Stanton, move on over.

I've always been pretty good at continuing to chug along even as various maladies hit my body. This is the first time I've had multiple significant injuries at once, and I have to say...I have newfound respect for the mental side of what professional athletes deal with when injuries consistently keep them from doing their job. I tend to be a bit more lenient than other fans when talking about player injuries, but the last month and change has given me even more perspective.

I'll heal, I'm not worried on that front...but I will say that the Yankees have played their best baseball of the season since I started poking holes in my bubble wrap. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. I can't say that I want to hurt anything else, but for the sake of the baseball gods, maybe I should pretend and milk my injuries for a bit longer.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about more infield trade targets, Jazz's imminent return, and prospect injuries! Let's get at it:

Steve M. asks: I was really surprised by your response to trade targets at 3b. I understand that Andujar and IKF are likely to be cheap, but I am not excited about either of those options. Do you have any opinions about guys like Eugenio Suarez or Bo Bichette?

When I answered the question about potential 3B options, I was trying really hard to be realistic about what the Yankees would be willing to absorb in terms of prospect and monetary cost. We have seen that the Yankees' budget will not allow Cashman and crew to stretch beyond a certain point except in extraordinary circumstances (like acquiring Juan Soto or retaining Aaron Judge). In narrowing my focus, I agree that I missed some really obvious potential targets. In addition to Suarez and Bichette, I'll take a look at a couple of other options as well.

Suarez is a really interesting option, and one that I discounted far too quickly. I discounted Suarez because I really don't expect Arizona to be sellers at the deadline. While the team is two games under .500, they are still just 5 games back in the Wild Card and just a short winning streak away from gaining ground in the NL West. Additionally, the Dodgers are terribly banged up and appear mortal, so to me, the NL West is wide open. However, the inverse is also true. If Arizona has a significant losing streak in June, they will be far enough out of it that they might be soft sellers. Suarez is playing on an expiring contract, so I'd imagine he'd be part of any soft sell.

Suarez has one thing he does really well: he hits for more pop than most realize. He hits the ball really hard, and has consistently for years. He whiffs too much, though he has two straight seasons of declining strikeout rates, which is a plus. Suarez bats right-handed, mashes lefties, and maintains solid performance against right-handed pitching. His defense at 3B has always been controversial, and this year is no different. Depending on the metric you choose to believe, he is either slightly below-average at 3B or among the worst defensive disasters in the sport. As someone who doesn't watch him everyday, but has watched some defensive film of his performance, I think Suarez is closer to the Miguel Andujar end of the defensive spectrum with a better offensive profile.

Suarez will have a hefty amount of his $15 million salary remaining at the trade deadline, and I wonder how that will complicate the Yankees' pursuit. As far as acquisition cost, I would expect someone from the back-end of some top-12 prospect lists as a centerpiece, and someone like Peraza as a throw-in. I would do that, but I also think the cost could be higher with a bidding war, especially if Arizona eats a little money.

Bichette is someone I'm sure we're going to start hearing about. The Jays are going nowhere and need at least a soft rebuild, and possibly something more extensive. Bichette has had a solid bounce-back season at the plate, though the underlying numbers suggests he should be even better. The problems? He's only played SS at the big league level (though he's not good there), he's expensive in dollars (slightly more than Suarez), and because he's a core player for the Jays, I expect the prospect cost to be higher than his actual value. It's an awkward fit; the Yanks could slide Jazz to 3B and play Bichette at 2B, where he has some experience in the minors, but I'm not sure how that will play. Add in the fact that the Jays are a division rival, and I think Bichette is a pipe dream.

I have two other trade options who aren't necessarily exciting, but would likely represent upgrades. The first is Yoan Moncada. Anyone could have had Moncada for very little this offseason, but the Yankees didn't jump. Moncada looked both healthy and pretty decent for the Angels this past week. He's hitting the ball really hard and appears passable at 3B, despite the metrics. Like Andujar, I can't imagine he'll cost much at all to acquire.

The other guy is Ramon Urias. Urias is a good defender who makes a lot of contact, draws walks, and plays sound baseball. He's a role player, probably a super-sub on a good team, but on the Yankees, he'd represent a clear upgrade at 3B. The Orioles are bad, and Urias might be traded at the deadline. I'm not sure the Orioles would make a deal with the Yankees, but it would be worth a call.

Of the guys on this list, Suarez is clearly the guy to shoot for. Otherwise, I think my favorite option in the bargain basement is Moncada followed by Andujar/IKF.

Michael G. asks: What do you think of the fact that the Yankees are giving Jazz playing time at third base in rehab games?

While most of us aren't happy about it, I get it. As bad as DJ LeMahieu looks, I think he's still a better baseball player than Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes right now. For whatever reason, the Yankees seem to think DJ is far more capable of playing 2B than 3B, and to be fair, he's looked good defensively there. It doesn't hurt to get Jazz game action at 3B so that he's ready to play there, just in case. We already know he is a good 2B and can flip back there in an instant.

However, I think there's more at play here. I think signaling to other teams that they are willing to play Jazz at 3B gives the Yankees a bit of leverage in trade talks as they hunt for a right-handed 3B. It also gives the Yankees flexibility to look for an upgrade at either 3B or 2B, given the lack of options on the trade market. Jazz might be a better 2B than a 3B, but I still believe he's viable at 3B.

Alan B. asks: Andy: I can't find anything more on injured prospect pitchers Kevin Stevens, Ben Shields, Sabier Marte, Henry Lalane, Luis Serna, or Cade Smith. Any of them coming back this year? Also, I would've turned Serna into a reliever after seeing him pitch in the Mexico game last year.

I agree, I have struggled to find out any information on those guys either. I have heard uncorroborated rumors that both Lalane and Sheilds are dealing with arm injuries, but again I don't have confirmation. It is one of the frustrating parts of prospect hunting: teams have no obligation to disclose minor league player injuries unless they are public in nature. Often times, we're left in the thickets of the unknown unless a player publicly confirms an injury. In the recent past, it took months to understand injuries to Brendan Beck and others. I hope the rumors I've heard about some of these injuries aren't true, and at least most of these guys find the mound this year.

As for Serna, I agree. He has all of the stuff and tools to start, but his body is slight, and it simply hasn't held up to expanded innings. I think the Yankees would be best served by making him a short-inning reliever, see if the stuff ticks up out of the bullpen, and let him become a real option in a year or two.