Wild Trade Proposal Sends Yankees Infielder to Braves

The New York Yankees may send one of their starting pitchers packing to Atlanta.

Jun 17, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) fields a ground ball against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As the MLB season continues on, New York Yankees are facing questions at second base. The position is currently occupied by DJ LeMahieu, who is no longer playing like the two-time All-Star he once was. Clutch Points writer Zachary Howell suggested that New York could deal LeMahieu (as well as prospect Roderick Arias) to the Atlanta Braves for second baseman Ozzie Albies.

"Albies' exit would be a tough pill to swallow for Atlanta. However, getting one of the Yankees' top prospects in return would be a good way to sell it to the Braves' fanbase," Howell wrote. "However, this trade requires Atlanta to believe that they are out of the National League playoff picture."

From a pure statistics perspective, LeMahieu is slashing .243/ .314/ .327 this season, which is better than Albies' .223/ .298/ .323. However, Howell points out that Albies has been doing better when he is moved further down the rotation and there's less pressure to perform. On a star-studded team like the Yankees, the 28-year-old may just find greater success.

"If Albies' numbers don't improve, his slashing numbers will all be career-lows. While a lot of his issues at the plate cannot be excused, many of them could be attributed to the additional pressure he was under at the beginning of the season. Since moving down in the order, he has played better," Howell wrote.

The Yankees are surely trying to make a return to the World Series this year, and to do so, they may need to deal LeMahieu before the end of his six-year, $90 mllion contract. Albies is currently on a seven-year, $35 million deal with Atlanta. If his play continues to improve, as it has over the last couple of weeks, they may not be willing to trade him to another team.

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