As losers of five consecutive games, the New York Yankees are playing their worst baseball of the season.
New York’s offense has not scored a run in 29 innings, suffering three straight shutout losses, one against the Boston Red Sox and two against the Los Angeles Angels.
After the San Francisco Giants shockingly acquired Rafael Devers from the Red Sox on Sunday, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer believes Devers may not be the only superstar on the move at or before this year’s trade deadline. Additionally, Rymer hypothetically speculated that the Yankees could make a move for one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball.
Yankees-Guardians Trade Idea Sees Jose Ramirez Land in New York
The New York Yankees are currently using Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswald Peraza at third base. Peraza and veteran DJ LeMahieu are splitting time at second base, with the former receiving most of the playing time.
While Chisholm has shown he’s a capable defender at the hot corner, it may be in the Yankees’ best interest to transition him back to his natural position at second base, if it means acquiring Cleveland Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez.
Rymer sees the Detroit Tigers as a force to be reckoned with in the American League Central, and relinquishing their first-place standing to the Guardians does not seem likely.
“Cleveland has also lost 35 games, though, and the Detroit Tigers have made it clear the AL Central is their division now,” Rymer wrote Wednesday. “The Guardians simply don’t have the star power to flip the script in 2025, and maybe not in 2026, either.”
Cleveland’s potential inability to make a profound impact in the postseason is where the Yankees could step in with a significant trade offer for Ramirez.
“This said, the Yankees’ contention outlook is a heck of a lot better than Cleveland’s, and that is even with a hole on their infield,” wrote Rymer. “He [Ramirez] would fill that by playing third and bumping Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base, though he’d also partner with Aaron Judge to again give the Yankees the best duo in the American League.”
How Ramirez Fits With Yankees
Ramirez, 32, is having another great year offensively, hitting .319/.380/.535 with a 156 OPS+, 13 home runs, and 34 RBIs in 69 games.
As a switch hitter, Ramirez has done most of his damage against righties (188 at-bats), although in a much larger sample size than against left-handed pitchers (72 at-bats). Still, he’s hitting .389 with a .988 OPS against southpaws in 2025.
It would be the New York Yankees’ dream for Ramirez to have the short porch in right field at his disposal. He’s pulled 11 of his 13 home runs this season to the right side of the field.
“As for how Ramírez would fit at Yankee Stadium, here’s a hint: Out of his 268 home runs, 170 have been as a left-handed hitter to right field,” Rymer added.
As far as performance against the Yankees on the road, Ramirez is a career .393 hitter with nine home runs and 19 RBIs in 34 games at Yankee Stadium.
The fit is obvious. The real question is how much prospect capital and Major League-level talent the Yankees would be willing to give up to acquire Ramirez, and whether the Cleveland Guardians would even consider such an offer.
