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With the Yankees struggling in the American League playoff race and the MLB trade deadline approaching, they might need to push through deals that seemed unlikely before. The Blue Jays, understandably, would be hesitant to trade their star slugger to a division rival like the Yankees. Moreover, Vladimir Guerrero, the player in question, has previously expressed his disdain for the Yankees.
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However, the Yankees’ recent poor performance—having lost four of their last five games and struggling after a strong 50-22 start—suggests a need for significant changes. In their last 32 games, they’ve matched their total number of losses (22) and only won 10 games.
ESPN proposes that the Blue Jays consider trading Guerrero to New York for a package of top prospects, potentially including No. 2 prospect Spencer Jones. In an article titled “2024 MLB Trade Deadline: Deals We’d Like to See,” writer Bradford Doolittle suggests Guerrero joining the Yankees’ outfield. Doolittle acknowledges Guerrero’s previous comments about never wanting to join the Yankees, but notes that this stance might have softened recently.
Doolittle writes, “The Yankees need help at the infield corners, and the idea of a lineup featuring Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Guerrero multiple times per game would be exciting.” Despite Guerrero’s earlier remarks about not signing with the Yankees—“not even dead”—Doolittle finds the potential narrative compelling, even if it seems like a long shot.
Guerrero would be a major boost for the Yankees. A four-time All-Star, he’s durable and currently hitting .296 with a .365 on-base percentage and a .487 slugging percentage. He has 18 home runs and 62 RBI this season and is on a $20 million one-year contract.
Though it might be a stretch for the Yankees to acquire Guerrero, their current situation clearly demands a shake-up to prevent another season from collapsing as it did in the past two years. While Juan Soto and Aaron Judge have delivered, the rest of the lineup has underperformed, especially cleanup hitters, who have combined for just 10 home runs (24th in MLB), a .204 batting average (last in MLB), and a .593 OPS (also last).
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