With the New York Yankees right in the middle of the AL pennant chase, they’ll need to make some significant additions to improve their odds of being the last team standing.
This deadline isn’t shaping up to be the most dynamic, and one could argue that there will be zero superstars or star-caliber players traded, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees can’t get better.
What they’ve shown this season is that having a lot of good players and limiting the blackholes on your roster is an effective way to win baseball games, and there are solid options who could become available to acquire.
From rotation upgrades to infield bats, we’re looking at five players who could provide a much-needed boost for this team.
5. Chris Martin – Texas Rangers
A strike-thrower with a firm fastball and deep repertoire, Chris Martin would immediately provide the Yankees with a veteran who can handle high-leverage situations.
He has a 1.83 ERA and 1.87 FIP across 19.2 innings, striking out 29.9% of batters faced with a 3.9% walk rate for a Texas Rangers team that has struggled to score runs in 2025.
Martin provides the exact kind of profile that the bullpen needs, as it gives Aaron Boone a reliable veteran who will throw strikes and won’t put runners on unnecessarily.
It also provides the roster with a pitcher who has a strong fastball with solid velocity, as Martin sits 95 MPH on his four-seamer.
Since he’s owed just $5.5 million for the 2025 season, the Yankees wouldn’t be adding a ton of payroll if they brought in Chris Martin at the trade deadline.
With Texas potentially missing the postseason for the second consecutive season, trading an impending free agent who is 38 years old wouldn’t signal a full-scale teardown.
The asking price likely wouldn’t be high enough to deter the Yankees, and he’s everything a bullpen that does have a walk issue desperately needs.
4. Ha-Seong Kim – Tampa Bay Rays
In a limited market that doesn’t have a lot of reliable infielders, Ha-Seong Kim’s well-rounded game and high-floor profile make him an effective starter on a championship contender.
The Tampa Bay Rays signed him this offseason to a 1+1 deal valued up to $29.5 million if he chooses to pick up his player option for the 2026 season.
Since going through a difficult rookie season, where he posted a 71 wRC+ and a .270 OBP, he has posted a 106 wRC+ and a .336 OBP, stealing 72 bases in 423 games.
His patient approach and high contact rate enable him to be an effective table setter at the bottom of the lineup, who can be put into motion to create offense.
With a high flyball rate and low groundball rate, he’s also an effective sacrifice hitter, having the fifth-most sacrifice flies and sacrifice hits from 2022-2024.
Ha-Seong Kim also has a 122 wRC+ versus left-handed pitching as well, but we all know the glove is the main selling point.
n 127 games at second base, Ha-Seong Kim has 15 Defensive Runs Saved and 8 Outs Above Average, being one of the best defenders at the position on a per-rate basis.
He could put up an 85 OPS+ and still contribute more than the in-house options based on the glove and speed alone, and that’s worth the price of acquisition.
Ha-Seong Kim is a player who doesn’t have huge nights, but his consistent ability to make a positive impact on the game one way or another makes him a perfect addition to an offense with tons of power depth.
READ MORE: Yankees’ infield just got a huge power-boost
3. Merrill Kelly – Arizona Diamondbacks
While not the frontline starter that he was during Arizona’s improbable run to the World Series in 2023, Merrill Kelly still is an effective starting pitcher who could take the ball in a postseason series.
The right-hander has a 3.78 ERA and 3.56 FIP, striking out 22.9% of batters faced with a 47.4% GB%.
His velocity has declined a little from his best years, but the arsenal could get better if the Yankees make some key adjustments.
First, let’s go over what he is at the moment; right now, Merril Kelly is on pace to record about 2.8 WAR if he makes 30 starts this season.
That would be the second-best WAR on the 2024 pitching staff, and with his 2.25 ERA in four playoff starts against teams such as the Dodgers, Phillies, and Rangers, you would trust him more than someone like Clarke Schmidt or Will Warren at the moment.
Luis Gil could outperform him, but you have no certainty that he’ll return and perform the way he did last season.
Kelly is a strong Game 3 starter on a contender, and if the Yankees want to make him even better, they could have the veteran alter his pitch usage a bit.
His four-seamer has a .789 SLG% allowed, and I think this pitch could perform better if he throws it up in the zone more. He generates more vertical movement than expected relative to his arm angle, making the pitch hard to make contact with when elevated.
Even if he doesn’t make any adjustments, Merrill Kelly is the perfect middle-of-the-rotation option for a contender looking to bolster their rotation. The Yankees should make sure they give the Diamondbacks a call for his services in July.
2. Reid Detmers – Los Angeles Angels
A hideous 6.04 ERA will turn off fans from paying attention to Reid Detmers this deadline, but the underlying numbers suggest that Detmers is better than the ERA reflects.
His four-seamer sits at 95 MPH while his slider sits at 87 MPH, and he could provide a much-needed left-handed boost to this bullpen.
He has a 25.4% strikeout rate this season and last year had a 27.9% K%, and with the Angels being a bottom-of-the-barrel organization when it comes to player development, the Yankees might be able to unlock something here.
The Angels seemed to have increased his fastball usage, a decision that’s a bit puzzling given how good his slider and curveball are.
The Yankees could have him increase the usage rate of his secondaries and help him get even more whiffs, and while acquiring a proven left-hander would be a safer bet, the organization traditionally targets relievers whom they can improve over guys that are high-priced targets at the deadline.
Mark Leiter Jr. and Lou Trivino are great examples of those acquisitions panning out, and I believe Detmers could be another success story.
With a background as a starter and three more years of control after this season, the Yankees could do a lot of things with Reid Detmers over the next few years to squeeze out as much value as possible, but for now, a bullpen role is what I envision for him.
Reid Detmers has a 3.23 FIP and 3.48 SIERA, both of which are metrics that are more indicative of his talent than the ERA would suggest.
1. Mitch Keller – Pittsburgh Pirates
Mitch Keller is the kind of pitcher who fits the middle of a playoff rotation perfectly, as he’s capable of pitching deep into games and has more upside to unlock.
He has a 3.73 ERA and 3.20 FIP across 12 starts, and while the strikeout rates haven’t been great, the damage rates against have continued to improve thanks to an increase in sinker usage.
Through his first seven starts, Keller used his sinker just 10.4% of the time and had a 4.31 ERA with a 40.2% GB%, but over his last five, he’s used his sinker 22.8% of the time, posting a 2.90 ERA and 48.3% GB%.
There are some other improvements that Mitch Keller could make from a command standpoint, as his four-seamer isn’t thrown up in the zone much despite having a fastball that can get whiffs at the top of the zone.
With how good the Yankees are at player development and with Keller being under contract for three seasons after this one, it could give the team some flexibility with moving a starter for a bat at the deadline.
He has the upside to be a frontline starter and is currently pitching like a number-three starter, with a contract that isn’t bad but will certainly limit the return the Pirates can get on him since teams traditionally don’t like adding payroll.
