Yankees Likely Already Regretting Heliot Ramos Trade 2 Weeks After Deadline

The New York Yankees thought they were upgrading their lineup with Heliot Ramos, but he has struggled mightily since being traded over.

New York Yankees left fielder Heliot Ramos is hitting .083 since joining the team at the trade deadline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the time of the trade deadline, Heliot Ramos was slashing .264/.304/.424 with a 100 wRC+. By that measure, he was exactly league average. The New York Yankees thought they were getting something of an upgrade over Jasson Domínguez, but the outfielder who was traded for Henry Lalane and Kaeden Kent feels more like a lateral move from "The Martian", who struggled for most of the year.

Since the Yankees acquired him, Ramos has three hits in 42 plate appearances. All three were doubles, and he has dropped his season wRC+ to 89. It's not so far removed from the 81 that Domínguez has.

Heliot Ramos snaps his 0-for-24 streak with a double pic.twitter.com/swpyJXHToQ

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 16, 2026

A lot has been made of Ramos's stinging balls when he makes contact. During this span, he averages an exit velocity of 94.5 MPH. That's up from his season average of 92.2. This is hardly a sign of bad luck, though. It's one thing to make hard contact, but the type of contact he's making is important, too.

A lot of the balls Ramos puts into play are grounders. He has a 56% groundball rate. Where he gets into trouble is that only 20% of the balls he puts in play are fly balls. That's down from his season average of 27.2%.

For the most part, hard-hit ground balls will be converted into outs. The Yankees saw that play out for Ramos in the 10th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Just after Ben Rice's homer, Luis Garcia Jr. hit a single, but instead of keeping the rally going, Ramos hit a 102.8 MPH liner to second baseman Ernie Clement. The Blue Jays induced the double and got out of the inning.

The Ramos move felt underwhelming when the Yankees made it. It has certainly played out that way. He has time to turn it around, but it's getting late early for this season, and it's feeling more like Brian Cashman should have gone in another direction at the deadline.

A poor trade deadline for the Yankees

If it was about getting another outfielder, Taylor Ward was one name the Yankees could have acquired. Ward ended up going to the Seattle Mariners, and he would have been the perfect bat for the top of the order. He has a 16.2% walk rate, which is in the 98th percentile in all of baseball.

Seattle Mariners left fielder Taylor Ward might've been a better option for the Yankees at the trade deadline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ramos, on the other hand, is one of the worst in baseball at drawing walks. He has an 11th percentile 5.7% walk rate. At least if Ward struggles, he has a chance of getting on base. Ramos comes with a lot of empty at-bats.

At this point, there isn't anybody in the minors who could come up and take playing time from him. The Yankees aren't bringing up Dominguez because they have seen enough of him.

Until reinforcements arrive, it will be on Ramos to produce. There isn't a savior waiting in the wings, and the deadline has long passed. The Yankees will have to live with their decision and hope it finally works out.

Get Yankees On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.