Yankees Trade Rumors: New York Won't Part With These Top Prospects

Seems like Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza are untouchable leading up to the trade deadline.

NEW YORK — This winter, the Yankees were unwilling to trade either of their top two prospects to acquire Athletics first baseman Matt Olson.

Six months later, leading up to the trade deadline, the organization's stance regarding shortstops Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza has not changed. 

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees recently told the Reds—in preliminary trade talks for starting pitcher Luis Castillo—that they "won't part" with Volpe or Peraza and that their availability "won't change." Those two highly-touted prospects are Cincinnati's "prime targets" when it comes to a possible Castillo trade with New York, Heyman said.

Not only did the Yankees hold off from using those shortstops in a possible Olson trade—before he was dealt to the Braves in March—but they also chose not to sign a top-tier shortstop in free agency, keeping the starting shortstop position open for the long term.

New York went out and traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a five-player swap with the Twins, a deal including catcher Gary Sánchez. Kiner-Falefa isn't the answer for years to come, though. If everything goes according to plan, both Volpe and Peraza will play a role up the middle in pinstripes sooner than later.

The Yankees have a deep farm system, but if Cincinnati wants Volpe or Peraza and neither side will budge, it's hard to see these two clubs working something out before the deadline. New York is in a position where they suddenly need pitching—Luis Severino landed on the injured list, Nestor Cortes has never experienced this workload before and Jameson Taillon has struggled mightily of late—but other teams are also interested in Castillo. That means the Reds will have more opportunities to get the package that they're looking for, a grouping of prospects worthy of an ace and a two-time All-Star.

READ: Luis Castillo Looks Like Deadline’s Top Pitching Prize vs. Yankees

It goes without saying, but Heyman added that the price tag for Castillo will be high. Can the Yankees put together a package using their next tier of prospects that still gets the job done? Or is Cincinnati looking solely at their top shortstops and won't negotiate otherwise? Only time will tell.

Both prospects have positioned themselves for a promotion within the Yankees organization with their play to start the 2022 season. Volpe, a former first-round pick, is hitting .253/.351/.461 with Double-A Somerset this year, racking up 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 52 runs and 35 stolen bases in 77 games. Meanwhile, Peraza is batting .245/.317/.421 in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, accumulating 11 homers, 31 RBI, 31 runs scored and 19 stolen bases in 67 contests.

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