Yankees Have Clear Trade Target to Respond After Blue Jays Add Lenyn Sosa

Colorado Rockies third baseman Willi Castro (3) throws to first for an out in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Through the first two weeks of the regular season, the New York Yankees have a clear problem at third base with Ryan McMahon. McMahon, whom the team acquired at the trade deadline last year, has been dreadful at the plate, sporting a .114 average.

It hasn’t been fun to watch, but it's allowed Amed Rosario to emerge and pick up more playing time at the hot corner. However, the Yankees will need more options at their disposal in case Rosario goes into a slump or they need to make a switch at shortstop with Jose Caballero.

One way the Yankees can do this is through a trade, which isn’t far-fetched at this time of the year, just ask the Toronto Blue Jays. On Monday, the Blue Jays acquired versatile infielder Lenyn Sosa from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Jordan Rich and a player to be named later, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Sosa isn’t tearing the ball off the cover with the Sox to start the season, as he’s hitting .212 with three doubles and three RBI. However, Sosa can play across the infield from first to third base, which is a nice weapon to have. Most Yankees fans would rather have a player like Sosa on the team than watch Randal Grichuk strike out.

At risk of playing copycat with a division rival, it's worth the Yankees thinking who they could target in a similar low-stakes trade at this point in the season. As we know, shortstop won’t be an issue for long with Anthony Volpe’s impending return, but if McMahon continues to struggle, New York needs to have its bases covered.

Willi Castro would be sneaky under-the-radar trade target for Yankees

The Yankees might not want to go back down the path of trading with the Rockies, seeing how things have played out with McMahon. However, veteran Willi Castro would be an interesting trade target for them.

The 28-year-old Castro signed a two-year, $12.8 million deal this offseason with the Rockies, but don't put it past Colorado to move him at the deadline for a minor leaguer. Colorado is still a ways from contending.

Castro can play all three outfield spots and across the infield. This season with the Rockies, the veteran super utilityman is hitting .220 with three doubles, one home run, and seven RBI.

While Castro’s batting average isn’t impressive, it's better than what the Yankees are getting from McMahon currently. Castro’s BABIP is also .357 with the Rockies, while McMahon’s is .200.

Through 14 games with Colorado, Castro has predominantly played at second base (13 games, nine starts). But he’s made a few appearances at third base (one start), first base (one start), and shortstop (one start).

Did we also mention that the veteran is a switch-hitter? This season, the Rockies utilityman is hitting .250 against left-handed pitching (eight plate appearances) compared to .214 against right-handed hurlers. 

Castro is also hitting .257 off left-handed pitching for his career and has an OPS of .695, which isn’t spectacular, but for someone who is a bench guy, it's acceptable. 

With all that being said, the Yankees should keep a close eye on Castro, who could see some buzz at the trade deadline, especially if he has a strong first half and the Rockies bottom out in the NL West.