Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Shouldn't Hesitate to Trade Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodriguez

The New York Yankees could easily trade one, if not both of these players for Freddy Peralta.
Jordon Lawrenz|
May 21, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The helmet of New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
May 21, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The helmet of New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

The word going around town is it would take New York Yankees' Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodriguez for Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta.

If the Yankees want to do anything noteworthy this season, they can't sit around and do nothing. Time and time again, fans have called for moves for key free agents that the team simply doesn't even try for.

When it comes to Freddy Peralta, there's no excuse. Sure, he's due for a massive contract, but the team can cross that bridge when they get there.

As it stands, Peralta is set to make peanuts in 2026 and the Yankees would be silly to turn the Brewers down. If an offer does indeed present itself for either Lagrange or Rodriguez, they need to seriously consider it.

Carlos Lagrange

Both players are 22-years-old but the interesting aspect is the Brewers want someone who is "MLB ready". Obviously, neither of these players have debuted in the big leagues.

Prospects are always risky, but Lagrange went out and had a pretty solid 2025 season. His career record sits at 11-10 as he went 11-8 last year with a 3.53 ERA. Knowing his career ERA is 4.05, it's clear he showed improvement as he went from throwing 21 innings in 2024 to throwing 120 the following year.

Improvement is the name of the game as it takes time to get these players ready for the big leagues. Lagrange has started all but four of his 56 career games which goes to show he could be ready for whatever role the Brewers would want to put him in.

Elmer Rodriguez

Rodriguez had much more time throwing in 2024 compared to Lagrange. The righty went 11-8 last year with a 2.58 ERA that shows just how consistent he's been. His career ERA is 2.59 which is super impressive when looking at the numbers to see he's never had a season with higher than a 2.91 ERA.

If the Yankees get to choose between the two, they should absolutely keep Rodriguez and trade Lagrange. Nothing against the 6'7'' 248-pound pitcher, but he's far from the complete package like it seems Rodriguez could be.

That said, Rodriguez is far from perfect. He threw five innings in AAA last season and gave up four earned runs. If he's not ready for AAA, there's no way he's ready to be on an Opening Day roster. The Yankees must go all in on Peralta this season and let the Brewers handle whether these two are true MLB quality pitchers or not.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz is a writer for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated Network. Jordon is an accomplished writer for NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He contributes to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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