Yankees 2023 Trade Deadline Tracker

The 2023 MLB Trade Deadline has arrived. We’re hours away from the 6pm EST deadline for major league teams to make swaps, and we still don’t entirely know what direction the Yankees will go. The club has boxed themselves into an awful spot, with a sluggish, underperforming roster that nonetheless has a couple top-end talents few teams can boast. Will they buy? Sell? Try to play 4-D chess and do both at the same time? It’s all on the table for Brian Cashman and company.

As the day progresses, we’ll have you updated on all the biggest rumors and deals from across the league. The Yankees will likely be involved at some point, but in what fashion remains to be seen. Be sure to check back throughout what should be a frantic day of deals.

Rumors of the Day (August 1)

• 6:30 PM EST: A buzzer beater for the Yankees: they’ve acquired pitcher Spencer Howard from the Rangers. Howard was once a well-regarded prospect in the Phillies system, and was shipped to Texas as part of the deadline deal that sent Kyle Gibson to Philadelphia. Howard has not acquitted himself well in the majors, with a 7.20 ERA in 115 innings to his name.
• 6:00 PM EST: Roundup of the buzzer beater deadline moves: the Red Sox acquire infielder Luis Urias from the Brewers, the Marlins send Jean Segura and prospect Kahlil Watson to the Guardians for Josh Bell, the Marlins also acquire Ryan Weathers from the Padres for Garrett Cooper, and the Dodgers add Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals.
• 5:55 PM EST: The Yankees have made a move! At the buzzer, Jeff Passan reports that White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton is coming to the Bronx. Wondering about who Middleton is? We’ll have more coverage on him in the coming hours and days. Update: PSA alumnus Joe LoGrippo reports that the Yankees will send Juan Carela to the White Sox. A 21-year-old pitching prospect of modest renown, Carela has a 3.67 ERA in 83.1 innings in High-A this year.
• 5:50 PM EST: It looks like it’ll be the Orioles that land starter Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals, per Ken Rosenthal. Flaherty is no ace at this point, but Baltimore desperately needed some sort of arm to supplement their pennant push.
• 5:45 PM EST: The Mets have traded outfielder Tommy Pham to the Diamondbacks reports Andy Martino. That should just should just about put the finishing touches on the Mets’ summer sell-off.
• 5:35 PM EST: Joel Sherman tweets that the Cardinals are still expected to move starter Jack Flaherty, “perhaps in conjunction with an OF such as Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill”. The Yankees were connected to Carlson earlier in the day, but the smoke as mostly dissipated since then. Sherman notes that the Braves and the Dodgers are both still in the market for starting pitching and could make sense for Flaherty.
• 5:00 PM EST: According to Jeff Passan, the Dodgers and Tigers had a deal in place for Eduardo Rodríguez, but the lefty invoked his no-trade clause to nix the deal. Rodríguez had the Dodgers on his list of ten teams he could block a deal to. The Tigers now have less than an hour to move the veteran.
• 5:00 PM EST: Joel Sherman reports that the Rays have been trying to move veteran outfielder Manuel Margot, and that the Yankees are among the teams that have inquired. A deal doesn’t seem likely, as I doubt either side wants to take responsibility for the ~$14 million Margot is guaranteed through the end of next season. Margot has forged a nice career as a defense-first player, but he’s struggled this year and doesn’t profile as much of an addition.
• 4:45 PM EST: In a lower-key but fairly surprising move, the White Sox have sent infielder Jake Burger to the Marlins for pitching prospect Jake Eder. It’s no surprise Chicago has been a seller, but you don’t often see selling teams trade away players like Burger, an unspectacular but competent bat with five years of team control, on deadline day. Nonetheless, the Marlins have added another piece as they push for a Wild Card spot.
• 4:30 PM EST: We’ve got an assortment of news from the National League. The Brewers picked up veteran reliever Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks in exchange for rookie right-hander Peter Strzelecki. Also of note, the Cubs DFA’d Trey Mancini. The 32-year-old has struggled to the tune of a 72 OPS+ this year with Chicago.
• 3:45 PM EST: The details of the Justin Verlander blockbuster are beginning to emerge. The prize for the Mets is outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, perhaps the top hitting prospect on Houston’s farm. New York will also receive outfield prospect Ryan Clifford. Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale reports that the Mets will send $54 million to Houston as part of the deal. Verlander is owed a shade under $60 million through next season (plus a vesting option for 2025), which would have Steve Cohen all but paying Verlander’s salary to pitch for the Astros. Honestly, props to the Mets for the maneuver, as eating so much money is likely what got Houston to pony up a top prospect (take notes, Hal). Update: Joel Sherman has clarified Nightengale’s reporting regarding the cash head Houston’s way: it sounds as though the Mets will send $35 million total this year and next, and an additional $17.5 million for 2025 if Verlander’s option vests and is exercised.
• 3:25 PM EST: Michael Lorenzen, regarded as one of the most likely players to move today, appears to have a new home. The Phillies will be bringing the 31-year-old pitcher per Jon Morosi, with infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee headed to Detroit.
• 3:15 PM EST: The Yankees’ starting lineup for Tuesday night is out, and potential rental Harrison Bader is not in it. He was taking pregame batting practice a little while ago, so he is at the ballpark, but keep your eyes out for a possible trade. (The move to sit him may have been precautionary, though.)
• 2:45 PM EST: Sources across the league confirm the latest bombshell: Justin Verlander is headed back to Houston. We’ll have you updated on the particulars, but it looks like after a brief sojourn, the 40-year-old ace will rejoin the Astros in an attempt to win a third title together. As fate would have it, he will probably pitch against the Yankees this weekend when Houston visits the Bronx. Joy.
• 2:40 PM EST: This is a big one. Jack Curry weighs in at last, stating on the YES Network’s trade deadline special that Gleyber Torres is not moving. Given that the Yankees reportedly prefer to buy, this can’t be considered a surprise, especially since it relates to the 2024 team’s aspirations as well. If it’s Hal Steinbrenner’s desire to see this team make a push, the Yankees probably can’t afford move one of their few competent sources of runs outside of Aaron Judge.
• 2:30 PM EST: Jon Heyman reports that the Cardinals are looking for a “young MLB starting pitcher” in exchange for Dylan Carlson. The Yankees could offer Clarke Schmidt, but that smacks of an overpay. Do the likes of Randy Vásquez or Jhony Brito tickle John Mozeliak’s fancy? Stay tuned.
• 2:10 PM EST: We’ve got a flurry of Yankees rumors here, as Jon Heyman notes that Harrison Bader “is drawing trade interest”. Chris Kirschner also confirms the Yankees’ interest in Dylan Carlson. There’s definite smoke in the air right now, but we’ll have to wait to see if there’s fire.
• 1:50 PM EST: Joel Sherman provides an update on the state of the Yankees’ deadline. Sherman writes that the Yankees “floated the name of Clay Holmes in talks, but apparently made it clear that the price would be so high for their closer that a deal appeared unlikely.” Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson is apparently the primary target for Brian Cashman. Esteban profiled Carlson as a trade candidate last month.
• 1:35 PM EST: AL East trade alert: the Blue Jays have picked up Paul DeJong from the Cardinals. Star shortstop Bo Bichette suffered a knee injury last night, so the Jays were natural candidates to bring in infield help. DeJong isn’t a flashy addition, but has been competent for St. Louis this year, and insures Toronto against an absence from Bichette.
• 1:10 PM EST: Another actual trade, as the Padres signal their intentions for the deadline by importing left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-man Choi from the Pirates, in exchange for pitching prospect Jackson Wolf (hell of a name). Neither is a big get by any means, but that the Padres are importing help to paper over their biggest weaknesses suggests that they’ll be buying, not selling, at this deadline.
• 1:00 PM EST: Brendan Kuty reports that the Yankees intend to buy today, with an outfielder at the top of their wish list. Kuty also notes that they are not likely to trade relievers Clay Holmes or Michael King as part of a buy-and-sell strategy.
• 12:45 PM EST: We have perhaps our biggest deal of the day so far, as the Braves pick up lefty reliever Brad Hand from the Rockies, in exchange for 25-year-old minor league outfielder Alec Barger, per Robert Murray. The Braves have reportedly also “checked in” on Justin Verlander, but the general sense is that Atlanta, sitting pretty at the top of the NL, will have a relatively quiet deadline.
• 12:00 PM EST: The Justin Verlander market continues to develop, as Joel Sherman writes “the growing belief among executives in the industry is the Mets will trade Justin Verlander” before the deadline. The Dodgers and Astros remain involved, though Jon Heyman reports the Padres are also interested. Verlander has a no-trade clause that complicates the situation further, so it will be fascinating to see how it all shakes out this afternoon.
• 11:30 AM EST: Jon Heyman reports the Dodgers are in “hot pursuit” of Eduardo Rodríguez. The lefty starter, along with fellow Tigers pitcher Michael Lorenzen, are among the most likely players to be traded today.
• 10:20 AM EST: Buster Olney posits there may be a “barrage” of starting pitching trades this afternoon, as desperation sets in for starter-hungry teams. The Yankees don’t figure to be in the market for the top names, e.g. Verlander and Eduardo Rodríguez.
• 10:00 AM EST: Jon Heyman tweets that the Yankees’ interest in Mariners outfielder is “limited.” The Yankees obviously have a need in the outfield, but it remains to be seen if Cashman will put prospects on the table to acquire help for this moribund roster.
• 9:40 AM EST: Ken Rosenthal reports that the Orioles are “on the periphery” of talks for Justin Verlander. Baltimore has a strong lineup, a great farm, but a glaring need in the rotation, making them obvious candidates for an ace like Verlander. But the 40-year-old has declined a bit this year, and is owed $43MM for 2024, which will surely make cost-conscious Baltimore blanche. Can the two sides make something work, or will a team like the Astros swoop in?

Notable Prior Deals (July 31)

• Brewers acquire outfielder Mark Canha from Mets for pitching prospect Justin Jarvis.
• Giants acquire outfielder AJ Pollock, utilityman Mark Mathias, and cash from the Mariners in exchange for a PTBNL or cash considerations.
• Diamondbacks acquire reliever Paul Sewald from Mariners for infielder Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone, and infield prospect Ryan Bliss.
• Rays acquire starter Aaron Civale from the Guardians for first base prospect Kyle Manzardo.
• Cubs acquire infielder Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals for infield prospect Kevin Made and pitching prospect DJ Herz.
• Reds acquire reliever Sam Moll from the Athletics for pitching prospect Joe Boyle.
• Diamondbacks acquire infielder Jace Peterson from the Athletics for pitching prospect Chad Patrick.

(July 30)

• Rangers acquire pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton from the Cardinals for reliever John King, pitching prospect Tekoah Roby, and infield prospect Thomas Saggese.
• Angels acquire outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from Rockies for pitching prospects Jake Madden and Mason Albright.
• Blue Jays acquire reliever Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals for pitching prospects Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse.
• Rangers acquire starting pitcher Max Scherzer and cash from the Mets for shortstop prospect Luisangel Acuña.

(July 25-30)

• Dodgers acquire pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the White Sox for outfielder Trayce Thompson, and pitching prospects Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure. (7/28)
• Marlins acquire reliever David Robertson from the Mets for second-base prospect Marco Vargas and catching prospect Ronald Hernandez. (7/28)
• Astros acquire reliever Kendall Graveman from the White Sox for catching prospect Korey Lee. (7/28)
• Brewers acquire first baseman Carlos Santana from the Pirates for shortstop prospect Jhonny Severino. (7/27)
• Angels acquire pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López from the White Sox for pitching prospect Ky Bush and catching prospect Edgar Quero. (7/26)
• Marlins acquire reliever Jorge López from the Twins for reliever Dylan Floro. (7/26)
• Dodgers acquire shortstop Amed Rosario from the Guardians for pitcher Noah Syndergaard and cash. (7/26)
• Dodgers acquire utilityman Kiké Hernández from the Red Sox for pitching prospects Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman. (7/25)