Yankees Tabbed As Trade Fit for $32 Million 4-Time All-Star.
The New York Yankees are off to a hot start this season, leading all of MLB with a 10-and-three record, but they have already had some significant injuries to their roster that could cost them down the line.
Franchise ace Gerrit Cole has begun the campaign on the injured list with elbow problems, projected leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu has yet to play due to a foot injury and reliever Jonathan Loáisiga has had a season-ending injury just a few games into the season.
As a result of Loáisiga’s injury in particular, Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report has listed the Yankees as one of the teams with a “clear need” at the trade deadline, offering Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen as a potential solution.
“The Yankees’ bullpen has done excellent work so far, pitching to a 2.40 ERA and helping to preserve five one-run wins,” Rymer noted. “But it’s not going to have Jonathan Loáisiga for the rest of the year, and that’s a problem.”
Even With Early Success, the New York Yankees Could Look to Trade for a Reliever Like Kenley Jansen
The Yankees have a top-five bullpen ERA in all of MLB and the team has taken a homegrown, under-the-radar approach to building their relief corps in recent years, but Rymer added that the loss of Loáisiga could call for a high-caliber bullpen arm via trade anyway.
“Despite its early success, don’t be so sure that New York’s pen is capable of withstanding Loáisiga’s absence as is,” he added. “It’s striking batters out at only a 15.3 percent clip, the lowest in MLB. To this end, his replacement will ideally be someone of bat-missing vintage.”
Before going down, Loáisiga had pitched four innings for the Yankees this season, giving up seven hits and recording three strikeouts with no earned runs. The Yankees were hoping he could be a significant contributor throughout the year.
“The Yankees had grand plans for Jonathan Loáisiga this season, envisioning the high-octane right-hander as a multi-inning reliever until the All-Star break, at which point they would have used him more regularly to extinguish late-inning fires,” Bryan Hoch reported for MLB.com.
