Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Should Pursue Blockbuster Trade For AL East Rival's Star Infielder

A suggested blockbuster deal would put one of the New York Yankees' biggest problems over the past few seasons in pinstripes.

Grant Young

Aug 2, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) talks to Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) at second base after hitting a double during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Aug 2, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) talks to Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) at second base after hitting a double during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees having made it to the 2024 MLB World Series proves that their current roster is among baseball's best.

However, that roster is going surely to change next season. Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres, and Alex Verdugo are all becoming unrestricted free agents, the Yankees likely won't exercise Anthony Rizzo's team option, there's a world where Gerrit Cole could leave the Bronx, and several relievers are also slated for free agency.

Even if the Yankees somehow manage to re-sign Soto and Torres plus ensure Cole is back in New York, there are still ways to improve their roster. And Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller detailed a potential offseason trade that would make the Yankees' offense even more terrifying in an October 23 article.

"The Trade: Toronto Blue Jays send 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to New York Yankees for OF Spencer Jones, LHP Brock Selvidge and RHP Clayton Beeter," Miller wrote.

While Miller then claimed that Guerrero "hates the Yankees", he also added, "Guerrero did slightly change his tune ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, saying, 'I'm a player, and if a team picks me or if they do something, it's because they need it, obviously, and I'll be happy to help any team.'

"'It is not that I am trying to take back what I said about the Yankees,'" Guerrero then added.

"So, no, we don't think at this point in time that there's any realistic chance he signs with the Yankees in free agency during the 2025-26 offseason," Miller wrote.

"But with one season of arbitration eligibility remaining before he becomes a free agent, perhaps Guerrero can do what Aaron Judge did in 2022 and what Juan Soto did this year by putting together one heck of a walk year with the Bronx Bombers before signing the biggest contract of the winter.

"The Yankees certainly need the help at first base, as all six players who spent time there this season posted an OPS of .661 or worse. It's a foregone conclusion they'll decline their $17M club option on Anthony Rizzo in pursuit of a better solution," Miller added.

"As was the case last winter with Soto, it's going to take somewhat of a king's ransom for the Yankees to get their man. But what an absolute wrecking ball of a lineup they would have in 2025 if they manage to re-sign Soto and trade for Guerrero."

While the Yankees might be reluctant to part ways with top prospect Spencer Jones, getting Guerrero Jr. in return — who has a .292 batting average with 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 39 runs scored in 89 career games against the Yankees — would make this potential blockbuster deal seem like a no-brainer.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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