Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Are Trying to Trade Miguel Andújar Before Deadline

New York is reportedly looking to grant Andújar his wish after the right-handed hitter requested a trade away from the organization in June.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — It's been almost two months since Miguel Andújar requested a trade from the Yankees in response to his lack of playing time at the big-league level.

Now, in the days leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline, New York is reportedly trying to grant Andújar's wish.

New York is trying to deal Andújar, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

"They don’t mind having him as insurance, but understand he’d get a better chance elsewhere," Heyman wrote early Friday morning.

Andújar reportedly requested a trade on June 4, making his feelings known after another demotion back to Triple-A. The infielder/outfielder has been relegated to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre quite a bit over the last few years, unable to secure big-league playing time despite the track record he established as a rookie in 2018 and other players struggling ahead of him in pinstripes. 

Days after Andújar's request, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman commented on the situation, explaining that he never tries to move an asset just because they want to be traded. 

“He's a member of this organization and someone that we value and we benefit from having," Cashman said. "Obviously, if something makes sense, we'd do something. But obviously, clearly through this point, we feel like he's more valuable to us than me doing anything that has been presented to me up to this point.”

In other words, New York was waiting for the right deal, not afraid to hold onto him if that trade never presents itself. 

Andújar, 27, has two more years of team control after the 2022 season. In 2018, he finished second (to Shohei Ohtani) in the race for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, slashing .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 47 doubles. Since then, he's been either injured or on the outside looking in at playing time. He lost his starting job at third base in 2019, missing virtually the entire season with a right labrum tear.

This year, Andújar has appeared in 14 games with the Yankees, hitting .245 (12-for-49). Across 56 games with Triple-A this season, Andújar is batting .297/.343/.489 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles and 39 RBI.

Perhaps the Yankees can use Andújar to help address their pitching staff before the deadline, a position group that needs some reinforcements for the stretch run. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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