Yankees Should Swing Surprise Trade for Dodgers Outfielder

The New York Yankees should look to go after a two-time World Series champion to fill out their roster.

Brian Cashman speaks during a press conference at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees have not opened the trade floodgates yet, despite every report mentioning that they were searching high and low to fix their roster flaws. One of those flaws is outfield, and without a clear timeline for when Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge will return, it could be the first one that Brian Cashman looks to fix. The Los Angeles Dodgers may have a piece available, too.

While ESPN's Jeff Passan didn't outright say Teoscar Hernández is on the move, he did note reasons to believe that Los Angeles could deal him. It was in response to a fan question about New York's outfield situation on Threads.

"I haven't seen Teoscar Hernández's name out there. With the lack of RHH and the Dodgers' minor league outfield depth, Hernández could potentially be on the move," Passan said.

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández (37) receives his ring during the World Series ring ceremony before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What it would take to land Teoscar Hernández

If the Yankees were to make a deal for Hernández, it would be under the assumption that he is no longer the player he used to be. There have been reports mentioning George Springer could be on the move as well, and Hernández falls into that boat — albeit a less costly version of that situation.

This season, Hernández is hitting .251/.323/.390 with a 97 wRC+. One thing about Hernández is that he has never been a great defensive player. In his career, he has -45 Outs Above Average in the outfield and -25 Defensive Runs Saved. But this season, he's been marginally better, with -1 OAA and -1 DRS.

Trading for Hernández may not cost much as far as prospects go. Depending on what they send over, the Dodgers would decide how much they would be willing to pay down. If it were lower-level prospects, such as the ones they shipped to Colorado for Ryan McMahon, Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, it's on the Yankees to foot the bill.

The Yankees could always send over a better prospect to attain him, but the issue there is that, in this situation, they may as well use whoever that player is for somebody who is just a better player at this stage in their career.

An example of who that could be is Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles. With him, they would be getting a bat that could instantly slot in as a leadoff hitter. Few are better at drawing a walk and seeing pitches than he is.

Baltimore Orioles left fielder Taylor Ward (3) tosses his bat after a walk against the Athletics during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The intangibles of trading for Teoscar Hernández

However, the one benefit of having Hernández on the roster is that he's still a veteran. No situation is too big for him.

To trade for him, it's just a matter of the Yankees asking themselves who they would rather have in a big moment down the stretch or in the playoffs. It could be a situation where the Yankees have a runner on third with one out. As things stand, the answer to that question is either Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones.

Hernández had a similar season to the one he had now. Yet, en route to the second straight Dodgers championship, he hit a respectable .257/.303/.486. He could prove to be viable outfield depth and is at least better than what they have now. It will just be about Hal Steinbrenner's willingness to eat the $16 million owed to him next season if the sport is locked out — which is increasingly likely.