The New York Yankees finally accomplished their first trade of the off-season after nearly six weeks. On Friday, INF/OF Jake Bauers was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfield prospects Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez. However, the prospects are not yet major league ready, and thus, the Yanks hunt for an outfielder would continue.
The Yankees are yet to make a move on Cody Bellinger. Moreover, the acquisition of Shohei Ohtani is a far-fetched dream per se. Padres’ stance on Juan Soto is still unclear. Thus, the options are shrinking. Amid this, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic linked the Bronx Bombers to a Tampa Bay Rays center fielder. However, Yanks’ veteran announcer, Michael Kay, does not believe it’s an ideal deal.
Michael Kay Advises Yankees To Reject Tampa Bay Rays’ Bait!
Jasson Dominguez, the New York Yankees highly touted prospect, tore his elbow UCL this season and put his first half of the 2024 season in jeopardy. Thus, the Bronx Bombers remain in dire need of a temporary center field solution. Given the circumstances, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic linked Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Manuel Margo to the Yanks in an off-season trade deal. Margo is not a free agent until 2025. Moreover, Rosenthal went on to claim that the two teams have had preliminary conversations about the exchange. While the fans are intrigued, Michael Kay, YES Network’s announcer, is not amused by the rumor.
Instead, Kay advised the Yankees to decide against trading Manuel Margot. The announcer explained his point, saying that one should not engage with the Tampa Bay Rays. Their leadership group is extremely smart, and if they have offered Margot, the Rays must have a hidden agenda to put the Yanks’ championship quest in jeopardy. Additionally, Kay feels Margot’s not even worth the risk, given his numbers just seem “pedestrian.” “If they’re trading this guy to a division opponent, there’s something up,” said Michael Kay. Manuel Margot slashed .264/.310/.376 with 26 extra-base hits and nine stolen bases across 99 games this season. He is just 28 and could cover for Dominguez during the first half of 2024. Thus, the potential trade deal sounds not as bad as Michael Kay believes it to be.
City Rivals Jump In To Spoil Yanks-Rays Trade Deal!
The New York Mets just won’t let the New York Yankees have their way. After posing a roadblock in Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s pursuit, the Mets have shown interest in Rays’ center fielder Manuel Margot as well. Apparently, Margot is on the Bronx Bombers radar, and the front office has already initiated preliminary conversation with the Tampa-based outfit.
“The Yankees and Mets are among at least five teams that have inquired on Rays outfielder Manuel Margot, one of the players most likely to be traded this offseason,” says Joel Sherman of New York Post. The only problem with having the Mets as a competitor is that they are the only ones with pockets as deep as the Bronx Bombers. Thus, if the Mets decide to push hard, the Yanks are going to face a tough time beating them.