Yankees Trade Pitch Lands $79 Million All-Star Infielder

Thirty games into the season, the New York Yankees are in a position where they should feel decent about how they’ve played, but not great.

Over the past few weeks, as the campaign got underway, it has become clear that the Yankees need help. If they don’t add on both sides of the ball, they shouldn’t expect to find themselves in a World Series like they were a season ago. 

Among the players they could be interested in includes Eugenio Suarez, whom Kenneth Teape of Sports Illustrated named a potential trade candidate. 

His trade idea would see the Yankees land him, adding that the Yankees need an offensive bat and that his defense isn’t as bad as some have claimed it to be. 

“When New York faced off with the Arizona Diamondbacks in their second series of the season, they saw first-hand what the veteran slugger could do at the plate.

“Suarez hit a grand slam in the first game to help the Diamondbacks come away with a 7-5 victory. His only other hit during the series was also of the extra-base variety, as he hit a double in the series finale while drawing two walks in three games… Most importantly, he won’t kill the team’s defense as a serviable defender at the hot corner,” he wrote.

Yankees Have Needed an Infielder

The New York Yankees’ infield situation was one that the team understood was a problem during the offseason. However, instead of addressing that need, the Yankees didn’t add anyone and instead went with internal options.

Pitching might be more of a focus for the Yankees at the deadline, but adding a bat of Suarez’s caliber should be something the team considers. 

Even if he slows down a bit, given that he’s only getting older at 33 years old, the Yankees have to understand that he’ll hit free agency at the end of the season and only needs to play well for a few months.

Outside of Nolan Arenado, who has a much more lucrative contract compared to Suarez, who is only making $79 million over those eight years, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ third baseman might be the best option.

“This may well be an “Arenado or bust” situation, which is a bit what it felt like all winter, even though the Yankees were never one of the teams rumored to be seriously pursuing the Cardinals third baseman,” Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote. “If not Arenado, Díaz is probably the next-best combination of “can play third base” and “should be available,” but we’ll see if he’s available to the Yankees.”

Suarez Has Played Well

It’s been a great start to the season for Suarez, who already has 10 home runs. He’s hitting .200, which isn’t ideal, but the power numbers are there. He recently had a four-homer game, showing off his power.

Throughout his career, he’s proven to be an above-average bat, and that’s evident by his 111 career OPS+. 

He has strikeout concerns, and for a New York Yankees team that has a bit of swing and miss in their game at times, adding a guy who’s led the league on strikeouts three times since 2019 isn’t ideal. 

However, he’s been available, playing in at least 150 games in each of the past three seasons. He’s also hit at least 30 home runs in two of those three seasons, making him a valuable player and somebody who would help the middle of this Yankees lineup.

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