July 28, 2023
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NOTE: The following comes from EJ Fagan's substack page and is shared with permission.
Please check out EJ's substack page for more great articles.
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Trade season is underway.
A week ago, the Angels looked like they would probably trade Shohei Ohtani. Instead, they pulled him off the trade market, acquired Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez and are interested in Jeimer Candelario. They are going for it.
Other teams are starting to make moves too. The Dodgers brought back Kike Hernandez and might acquire Nolan Arenado and Joe Kelly. The Brewers acquired Carlos Santana. The Rays have been rumors to be interested in several players. Lots of contending teams are getting ready for the playoff run.
Every time a team, especially an American league competitor like the Angels, decides to buy, the case for the Yankees to sell is stronger.
There are only three wild card spots in the American League. The Yankees are 2.5 games back. Tampa and Houston currently have the first and second wild card spots. Realistically, the Yankees are competing for the third spot. Every team that buys makes that competition tougher. The Yankees now not only have to beat the Blue Jays and Red Sox, but also the Angels.
At the same time, every buyer increases the prices of players at the trade deadline, both by increasing demand and decreasing supply. More teams are competing for fewer players. The Yankees should be able to get more for Bader, Torres, Peralta, German and the rest of their trade candidates now that the market is tighter.
I get it. The Yankees won some games against the Royals. Had they lost that series, I think they would pretty clearly be heading toward a hard sell this weekend. The Yankees are rushing Aaron Judge back against the Orioles to try and capture some last-minute magic. But nothing has changed since last week on the Yankees roster. Selling is an even better move than it was a week ago.
