Yankees News: Yankees express interest in potential Gavin Lux trade

Sports Illustrated | Pat Ragazzo: The Yankees have reportedly expressed interest in trading Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux to fill the final infield vacancy. The Dodgers’ signing of KBO second baseman Hyeseong Kim to a three-year contract led many to wonder whether Lux’s time with Chavez Ravine had come to an end, although Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes refuted this speculation by claiming, that the team’s “mentality” boils down to start 2025 with a starting midfield duo of Lux and Mookie Betts.

Lux would certainly provide an upgrade over the Yankees’ internal options to play second. Even though he failed to reach the heights that his top prospect pedigree promised – due in part to a torn ACL in 2023 – he appeared to be hitting his stride in the second half of 2024 with an OPS of .899 and a WRC+ of 152 to have success. The Yankees will get it done The 27-year-old faces competition, with the Mariners considered his most aggressive suitor.

MLB trade rumors | Nick Deeds: January 4th marked the fourth anniversary of the Yankees signing Nestor Cortes for his third stint in the Bronx. The then 26-year-old had a 6.72 ERA over 79 major league innings at the time and was only signed as a minor league player. The Yankees then converted him into an above-average starter at the major league level, and in 93 consecutive appearances, Cortes pitched with a 3.33 ERA (124 ERA+) and a 25.2 percent strikeout rate in 489 innings while Scored 9.4 fWAR. He has since been traded to the Brewers alongside Caleb Durbin for standout reliever Devin Williams, and it has to be said that turning a minor league addition into a four-year starter in the middle rotation and one of the best reliever in the league to convert the front office.

The Athlete | Ken Rosenthal ($): The Yankees’ pennant defense suffered a major blow as they watched Juan Soto sign with the crosstown rival Mets. They tried to replace his overall value by adding Max Fried, Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. Perhaps the biggest impetus for the Yankees to offset Soto’s loss, however, was the Orioles’ stagnant offseason.

They watched fifth-place Cy Young finisher Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander walk out the door with his 44 home runs. However, instead of leveraging the finances of new billionaire owner David Rubenstein, Baltimore simply added 41-year-old starter Charlie Morton, 35-year-old starter Tomoyuki Sugano, outfielder Tyler O’Neill and old friend Gary Sánchez to retool their roster . Barring a late-winter blockbuster, the Orioles’ tepid moves leave a gap between them and the division-favorite Yankees.

NJ Advance Media | Brian Fonseca ($): Finally there’s a familiar name in local news. That’s because Carter Sweeney-Strawberry – grandson of Darryl Strawberry – chose Rutgers University. The junior outfielder finished the 2024 season among the top ten prep players in the state of Maryland and will now play his college ball right next to the field his grandfather called home.