Yankees Reportedly 'Have Long Liked' This Nationals Player, Could Try to Acquire Him
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Information ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline is coming from every direction, and the Washington Nationals have found themselves as a topic of discussion on multiple fronts.
Following their trade of Curtis Mead for left-hander pitcher Connelly Early, it was then revealed that they are no longer listening to offers on Luis Garcia Jr. And with the latest intel being that the Nationals are continuing to work on an extension for breakout starting pitcher Foster Griffin, it's not clear if Washington is going to sell any of their pieces like they initially had planned.
But teams around the league are still going to try to acquire some of their players. And according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post (subscription required), the New York Yankees have had their eye on center fielder Jacob Young for some time.
Yankees Interested in Jacob Young
"The Yankees have long liked Washington center fielder Jacob Young, who notably brings excellent defense but probably is off limits," the insider reported.
There are two notable things to unpack from that statement. The first is in regards to the Yankees having interest in Young. New York -- like just about every contender across the league -- is targeting right-handed bats ahead of the deadline. With their superstar duo of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton still on the shelf, acquiring a righty hitter is at the top of their to-do list.
Young, who is having the best power-hitting season of his career with nine home runs and 38 RBIs, would fill that need for them. While he's still a below-average hitter with a wRC+ of 89, he's been much more effective against left-handed pitchers with a 111 wRC+ and a slash line of .273/.339/.424. Add in his elite defense, and it's easy to see why the Yankees have him circled as a target.
But would the Nationals be interested in trading him? The second part of Sherman's report makes it seem like they wouldn't.
Young still has three years of club control remaining after this season. He's started to hit the ball better in July with a .350/.471/.550 slash line. And because Dylan Crews continues to struggle hitting on a consistent basis, keeping Young on the team seems like their preferred course of action.
The Yankees won't shy away from being aggressive ahead of the deadline, though. And with right-handed hitting options being scarce, they might offer Washington something they can't refuse. So with that in mind, Young is someone fans should keep an eye on before Aug. 3, as New York's interest in him could result in another high-profile move being made.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai