The Oswald Peraza era as a New York Yankee has officially ended—not with a bang, but with a whimper.
In the final minutes of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Yankees shipped the once-prized infielder to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for 18-year-old outfield prospect Wilberson De Pena and international bonus pool money. For Yankee fans, the move is less about the return and more about what might have been.
A Reluctant Divorce Years in the Making
At 25, Peraza was once a key piece for the Yankees’ future. A consensus top-100 prospect and slick-fielding shortstop, he was nearly untouchable by the front office as recently as 2022. That year, it was Peraza—not Anthony Volpe—who nearly headlined a proposed deal for ace Luis Castillo. The Yankees refused to include Volpe in talks with the Reds, instead offering Peraza. Cincinnati walked, Seattle swooped in, and Castillo is now a Mariners All-Star. Peraza, meanwhile, never found his footing in pinstripes.
Across four underwhelming seasons, Peraza hit just .190 with a .548 OPS in 145 career games. In 2025, he logged his most extended look yet—71 games—and slashed a paltry .152/.213/.239. Though he provided defensive versatility across the infield and ranked in the 82nd percentile in arm strength (88.8 mph), the bat never came around.
The Yankees kept waiting. The breakout never arrived.
What the Angels Are Getting, and What the Yankees Gave Up
Los Angeles sees Peraza as infield depth, particularly with Yoán Moncada struggling to stay healthy. His glove still flashes above-average at third base, and there’s always the faint hope that a change of scenery can salvage his bat. For now, though, he profiles as a glove-first bench piece under team control through 2029.
The Yankees, meanwhile, opted to clear the deck. De Pena is a lottery ticket—an 18-year-old outfielder with speed and raw tools playing in the Dominican Summer League. The international bonus money could help add another high-upside teenager to the pipeline.
But the real story is the cost of patience.
By refusing to deal with Peraza in 2022, the Yankees missed out on an ace in his prime. By sticking with him through years of inconsistency, they watched his value plummet, and by the time they let go, they were left holding a broken lottery ticket.
The Peraza saga joins a long list of Yankee prospect misfires—guys like Miguel Andújar, Clint Frazier, and Gary Sánchez, who once had the hype but never reached their full potential. In an era where the team has tried to walk the tightrope between developing talent and contending now, this deal shows what happens when you wait too long to jump.
Peraza’s departure also signals a philosophical shift for the Yankees’ front office. After years of overvaluing their own prospects and holding firm at deadlines, this trade feels like a subtle admission that not every highly ranked name will pan out.
With Volpe now struggling at shortstop and top prospects like George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones climbing the system, the Yankees may finally be rethinking how they balance prospect hype with proven production. For fans, it’s a reminder that sometimes the best time to trade a prospect is before everyone else realizes he’s not a star.
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