The New York Yankees are currently in the midst of their second-longest World Series drought since moving from the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan to the original Yankee Stadium in the Bronx in 1923, which was also the first year that the Yankees won a World Series. The 16 years since their 2009 championship is surpassed only by the 18 years between the Yankees’ 1978 World Series victory and their 1996 win.
After losing the 2024 World Series, then failing to get past the American League Division Series last year, the Yankees were expected to make an aggressive offseason push to upgrade their roster, to set themselves up to break the current drought. But that didn’t happen, causing enough frustration that even the Yankees normally soft-spoken captain Aaron Judge criticized the team’s offseason as “pretty tough to watch.”
But could they still make a move before Opening Day?
According to an analysis by ClutchPoints associate editor Jordan Llanes published Monday, the Yankees have a valuable trade chip in 2024 AL Rookie of the Year right-hander Luis Gil, one they could, and should, move “to bring back some lineup help, particularly in the infield. A player who can contribute at both shortstop and third base would be ideal.”
Why would the Yankees trade Gil, who, as his 2024 award demonstrates, possesses one of the most promising young arms in the organization? According to Llanes’ analysis, the Yankees will have a surplus of starting pitchers once they get some injured arms back in the rotation, as expected.
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“There could be as many as 10 starting pitchers vying for spots on the major league roster,” the ClutchPoints analyst wrote. “Once the veteran trio of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt returns from their respective injuries, there might not be spots on the 25-man roster for pitchers like Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn, and Will Warren.”
But Gil would be “the biggest arm” general manager Brian Cashman could put on the trade block, Llanes wrote.
Following his Rookie of the Year season in 2024, Gil was limited to just 57 innings last year due to a lat strain that kept him out until Aug. 3.
“Whether a team is rebuilding or contending, Gil could be a useful addition to most pitching staffs,” Llanes wrote. “If a team is looking to acquire him, they would look to harness his electric stuff on a more consistent basis.”
As a 27-year-old arm on a $2.2 million, one-year contract with two years of team control remaining, there seems little question that Gil would make a desirable target for any number of teams. The question would be which team is willing to part with a starting infielder to acquire him.
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