After being eliminated from the playoffs, the New York Yankees have a checklist they need to go through before they’re ready for the offseason. One of those things on the checklist is replacing Paul Goldschmidt at first base, as he is set to be a free agent.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline believes the Yankees can replace Goldschmidt by trading for Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Yandy Diaz. The trade would look like this:
New York Yankees receive: 1B Yandy Diaz
Tampa Bay Rays receive: C Austin Wells, OF Dillon Lewis
“Odds are the Tampa Bay Rays don't want to send Díaz to a division rival, but value is value and Díaz is 34, entering the final year of his contract. It's a pure rental for the Yankees, albeit an impactful one. This past season was one of Díaz's best yet. He hit .300 with an .848 OPS and a career-high 25 home runs. For a team in need of consistency beyond Judge, Díaz brings valuable experience and a highly disciplined plate approach,” Kline wrote.
Diaz finished the season slashing .300/.366/.482/.848 with 29 doubles, 25 homers, and 83 RBI in 150 games played. Like Kline said, having another consistent bat other than Judge could work wonders for the Yankees' offense.
Additionally, by trading Wells, the Yankees could fully commit to having Ben Rice play catcher, as they had been platooning him at first base and serving as the backup catcher. His bat is too good to be platooning and a backup, so this works for the Yankees.
Hopefully, the Yankees realize this might be a good idea and start working on talks for Diaz when the offseason truly begins.
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