Brendan Donovan is the target they should go after in STL, Carlson can't hit. And, I'm still on the Mickey Moniak train, even more so as an early season Dominguez replacement in CF against RHP. Those two players excel where the Yankees have faltered most - hitting RHP(and from the left side).

The Cardinals are going to trade away from their depth and Tyler O'Neill and Dylan Carlson don't hold enough value for them to get anything of any real worth in a trade at this point.

Values according to BBTV -

Donovan 14.4 (5 years of control)

O'Neill 8.0 (1 year of control)

Carlson 5.3 (3 yrs of control)

Schmidt 17.6 (4 yrs of control)

King 16.0 (2 yrs of control)

Donovan is attainable and the Yankees definitely have the pieces to acquire him. That's where I would start because he would be an impact bat for 5 years and would also fit in Yankees budget. Of the three, the only one I'd want is Donovan - and the Yankees should go get him.

Moniak is only valued at 3.9 (4 years of control). He should be easily attainable and I would actually go after both.

A possible lineup against RHP, (with OPS and wRC+ against RHP in 2023) -

Donovan 3B (LHH) .831 OPS/129 wRC+

Judge RF (RHH) .987 OPS/ 167 wRC+

Dominguez CF (SH) 1.179 OPS/ 213 wRC+

Torres 2B (RHH) .777 OPS/ 114 wRC+

Moniak LF (LHH) .880 OPS/ 134 wRC+

Stanton DH (RHH) .661 OPS/ 80 wRC+

Rizzo 1B (LHH) .674 OPS/ 89 wRC+

Volpe SS (RHH) .645 OPS/ 78 wRC+

Wells C (LHH) .645 OPS/ 78 wRC+

This obviously includes some small sample sizes for some of these players, but this could be a reasonable Yankee lineup for a good portion of the 130 games against RHSP.

DJL is the easiest bench player to rotate into that lineup to give Rizzo, and Stanton some days off as he's posted .707 OPS/ 96 wRC+ against RHP, which is better than Rizzo and Stanton have performed this year anyways.

A possible lineup against LHP, (with OPS and wRC+ against LHP in 2023) -

Volpe SS (RHH) .802 OPS/122 wRC+

Judge RF (RHH) 1.026 OPS/172 wRC+

Torres 2B (RHH) .895 OPS/144 wRC+

Stanton DH (RHH) .980 OPS/160 wRC+

Rizzo 1B (LHH) .825 OPS/ 136 wRC+

DJL 3B (RHH) .727 OPS/ 104 wRC+

Dominguez CF (SH) .286 OPS/ -29 wRC+

Trevino C (RH) .782 OPS/ 115 wRC+

Donovan LF (LH) .570 OPS/ 70 wRC+

Everson Pereira has had the slightest bit of success against LHP, so he could be in that mix as a bench piece to give Donovan some a rest day or two.

Importantly, on the days that these lineups are in place, the bench on any given day will have a bat or two that excel hitting against an opposite armed pitcher and can be brought in at the right moment. Against LHRP, on days that Stanton, RIzzo or DJL are off, they can be used to pinch hit if needed, and will provide a significant PLUS bat against a LHRP. Against RHRP, Donovan or Moniak would be the ideal bench bats to pinch hit with.

Those lineups look a hell of a lot better than anything we've seen from the Yankees this season and still get everyone their typical amount of games played.

They'd be better off still, if they went and signed one more bat like Joc Pederson to be injury insurance for Stanton and Rizzo and also help deepen the lineup against RHP a little more.

Pederson against RHP in 2023 (.829 OPS/126 wRC+). Rizzo, Pederson, and Stanton would hold down DH(Stanton/Pederson) and 1B(Rizzo/Pederson) duties, which would total 324 games between the three players, or an average of 108 games each. Injuries will happen, and make those number closer to about what they'll play than we'd like to admit. Additional games can be filled into this equation by Stanton or Pederson putting in some OF time as well.

I firmly stick behind this plan, with one bench piece being unclaimed yet. That person could be Peraza, Pereira, IKF, Cabrera, or anyone else...I don't care who takes that 13th spot, because that lineup is attainable and could be damn deadly.