Cody Bellinger injury could force desperate Yankees to make wild trade with SF Giants

As if things weren’t bad enough for the New York Yankees given Aaron Judge’s uncertain injury status, they have now lost outfielder Cody Bellinger for at least the next month. With the MLB trade deadline less than a week away, these injuries could allow the SF Giants to pull off a wild trade with the Yankees.

New York is desperate right now. The Yankees are trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by 2.5 games in the American League East and they need help in the outfield. Desperate, deep-pocketed teams have a way of making insane moves at the deadline and the Giants are well-positioned to take advantage of that.

If the Yankees need outfielders, the Giants have several New York could choose from. The two most appetizing options are Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee. While the Giants reportedly hope to hang onto Lee, maybe they can package Lee with one of their big contracts to try to offload it.

New York’s offense has run cold repeatedly throughout the season so it’s clear they could use more thump in the lineup. Perhaps they’d be willing to take on the behemoth that is Rafael Devers’ contract if he came with Lee so they at least had some help in the outfield.

They have the funds to take on Devers’ deal in which he is still owed over $200 million. While he got off to a slow start, Devers is now hitting .246/.318/.481 with 22 home runs and 60 runs batted in. Trading for him would come with the added benefit of turning a former Yankee-slayer when he was with the Boston Red Sox into a Yankee which would delight that fanbase.

Lee would be a nice addition to the outfield even though he obviously lacks the power of a Bellinger or Judge. He’s a contact guy and the Yankees could use a little more consistent contact in a lineup that has really been struggling since Judge went down.

The Giants would not just get rid of Devers and Lee to dump salary, though. They’d need to get a really good return in order to make it happen.

What could Giants get in wild trade with Yankees?

Here’s what a potential return could look like for San Francisco: 3B Ryan McMahon, RHP Elmer Rodriguez, OF Spencer Jones, and IF Kaeden Kent. 

McMahon would be in the deal for salary purposes to at least take a little salary off New York’s hands as a thank you for taking on the Devers contract. Rodriguez, Jones, and Kent are the No. 3, No. 7, and No. 14 ranked prospects in New York’s organization.

Rodriguez could develop into a mid-rotation starter, Jones has a ton of power and seems like a 30-plus homer talent, and Kent is in the deal because I will put him in every mock trade between the Giants and Yankees until it actually happens.

The return might seem a little light but keep in mind the Yankees would be taking on all of Devers’ contract and Lee’s money for next season which is a lot. 

This obviously isn’t the most likely trade to happen but when the Yankees get desperate they could start doing some crazy things. Even if the Giants don’t make a wild blockbuster deal like this they can still take advantage of the position the Yankees are in by trading them Heliot Ramos to give them a boost in the outfield. 

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