The New York Yankees have a clear need in the infield, and one trade pitch has them acquiring a versatile infielder.
Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see the Yankees acquire Luis Renifo from the Los Angeles Angels in a one-for-one swap.
Yankees acquire:
Angels acquire:
The proposed deal would be a one-for-one swap, as the Yankees would acquire the veteran MLB infielder for a young infielder who could play MLB games for the Angels this season.
New York would acquire Rengifo, who’s earning $5.95 million in the final year of team control as he’s a pending free agent at the end of the season. The 28-year-old could play second base or third base for the Yankees and shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second. The 28-year-old is hitting .233 with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs and would be a bottom-of-the-order bat.
But Rengifo does play well defensively. He has played at third base, second base, and right field this season, but is mostly a second and third baseman. He’s committed 8 errors this season, and has a .943 fielding percentage at third and a .980 fielding percentage at second base.
In return, New York would trade Vivas, who is the team’s 19th-ranked prospect. Vivas is 24 and appeared in 22 games for the Yankees this season, but was sent down as he struggled at the plate. Although New York has a need for infielders, Vivas could be a logical trade candidate as he projects to be more of a bench bat. Los Angeles, meanwhile, gets younger and takes a flier on Vivas to be an everyday hitter.
Yankees Showing Interest in Rengifo
Ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 31, the Yankees have been showing interest in Rengifo.
New York will likely make a move for an infielder, whether as a bench piece or a starter. But, MLB insider Jon Heyman revealed the Yankees have expressed trade interest in the 28-year-old.
“The Yankees will consider infield help, with a particular eye on third base since they’d consider moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, where he’s near Gold Glove caliber. The Yankees have liked Luis Rengifo, a change-of-scenery candidate in Anaheim,” Heyman writes.
Fellow MLB insider Mark Feinsand also linked the Yankees to acquiring Rengifo for a marginal upgrade.
“Third base has been an issue for the Yankees all season, especially since Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a season-ending injury in mid-May,” Feinsand wrote. “New York’s third basemen rank near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, and that’s with Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s solid numbers during his time at the hot corner… New York could also look for a marginal upgrade in the infield with somebody such as Andujar or Luis Rengifo.”
The Yankees are currently atop the AL East with a record of 48-37.
Yankees Confident Team Can Turn it Around
New York has been struggling as of late and is 13-15 since June 1 and is just one game up on the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East lead.
Amidst the losing streak, Yankees star pitcher Max Fried has full confidence that the team will be able to turn it around.
“There’s a lot of really good teams in this division planning on making the playoffs every year,” said Fried. “We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. We’re putting in the work every day going out to try to win baseball games. It hasn’t been the best right now, but we’re confident we can get it together and have a strong second half.”
The Yankees have dropped the first two games of a four-game series against the Blue Jays.
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