The New York Yankees reportedly are interested in bringing back reliever Chad Green in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of next week's deadline, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
Morosi reports that the move makes sense from multiple standpoints. Chad Green is having a good season for the Blue Jays, pitching to the tune of a 1.88 ERA, although some of the advanced metrics are not as good as his prior years. Though, the Yankees need bullpen help and Green has experience pitching in high-leverage situations, and he was a popular teammate during his time as a Yankee.
Green is also under contract for 2025 at $10.5 million, according to Spotrac, so he would help out down the stretch this season and in 2025, when the Yankees will still want to compete.
There are some red flags with Green, however. His K/9 is at 7.53, which is a career low for him by a significant margin, according to FanGraphs. Green's expected ERA is at 4.35, while his FIP is at 4.79 and expected FIL is at 4.60. There is reasonable concern regarding how sustainable his performance is, and if the Yankees do not end up trading for him, that could be why.
The Blue Jays have a number of names that could help teams, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette headlining the pieces. But other players like Yusei Kikuchi and Yimi Garcia could help teams in the pitching department as well. It seems as if Green is among those players who could get moved. It will be interesting to see who does get moved by Toronto ahead of next week's MLB Trade Deadline.
Yankees' MLB trade deadline needs
As noted above, the Yankees have a need for bullpen help at the trade deadline. The unit has stabilized a bit in comparison to where it was weeks ago, when it was really struggling. Still, every contender could use help in the bullpen, and that includes the Yankees.
The other main need the Yankees have is in the infield, either at the corners or at second base. Preferably, New York would add an infield bat who can hit in the leadoff spot in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. That leadoff spot has been problematic, and having someone who has a decent on-base percentage in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge would set the table for a dangerous offense, especially when Giancarlo Stanton makes his return.
It will be worth monitoring the reports surrounding the Yankees in the next week, as they should be aggressive buyers in an all-in season.
