The New York Yankees designated DJ LeMahieu for assignment on Wednesday. General manager Brian Cashman spoke on how the team will approach the trade deadline after the move.
The Yankees announced on Tuesday that LeMahieu would be taking on a bench role moving forward. The team wanted Jazz Chisholm Jr. back at second base, and LeMahieu’s inability to play third base anymore forced him onto the bench. After designating him for assignment, Aaron Boone revealed that Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas and JC Escarra would play third base “in the interim.”
While the Yankees’ infield defense improves with Chisholm at second and Peraza at third base, none of their current third base options is a reliable bat in their lineup. Brian Cashman mentioned how adding an infielder was on his list of trade deadline priorities.
“I’m definitely going to be looking for upgrades if I can,” Cashman told reporters. “That doesn’t guarantee anything. We’ve lost three starters out of our World Series rotation so far this year, so I’ve got to look and see if I can find a starter.”
“I’d certainly love to import a starter, some relievers because our bullpen has been taxed with injuries, and an infielder if possible,” he continued. “That’s a long list. I don’t know if this will be a deep Deadline or not. I don’t know how active we will be. But I can tell you that we will try to import improvements. That’s the gig.”
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The Yankees have gotten a .678 OPS from third base this year. It’s safe to assume that any upgrades to the infield would come in the shape of a third baseman.
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