The New York Yankees have been in the position to buy all year and should take notice of the teams that look like poised to go from buying to selling. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees can take advantage of some surprise sellers and acquire players like these three before the trade deadline.
Not even a pen attached to a sword is mightier than the 2022 New York Yankees. They have the American League East in a figure-four leg lock. In the MLB Power Rankings, they have consistently been number one.
Their heads cannot get too inflated. The front office must know they have to get through some tough teams to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a championship. Fans haven’t been able to gloat about the team’s number of rings much with no update to that total since 2009. If they don’t start winning soon, maybe the Yankees need to be added to music’s infamous 27 Club.
The Yankees have had their eye on several trade targets all year but with some clubs beginning to look more like buyers than sellers, they could have a few unexpected options. These are three of those names.
Noah Syndergaard
SP, Los Angeles Angels
New York Yankees trade target: Noah Syndergaard
There is no “he can’t handle New York” take with Noah Syndergaard. Adding him wouldn’t provide the same story as when they added Sonny Gray and many other pitchers. Before joining the Los Angeles Angels last winter, he was a New York Mets star who loved the spotlight.
Now hidden on the Angels, a team that has been heading in the wrong direction for more than a month, he might be a sneaky addition for the Yankees or any other team looking for a pitcher. In fact, on his one-year deal and proven history of getting outs in big games, he might be a useful bullpen piece, too.
The Angels took a chance on Syndergaard when they signed him in the offseason. If not for the team struggling, it might have been a good story. Instead, he is wasting away on a club with two of the most exciting players in the sport and not much else.
The Angels don’t have a lot of good trade options unless they shock the sports world by dealing Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani. They won’t do that. But they’ll probably shop Syndergaard.
For Syndergaard to become a viable Yankees trade target, someone might need to get hurt or there would need to be an innings limit on one of their starters. The rotation has been brilliant but lingering injury concerns could have them looking for depth.