New York Yankees - Jenifer Cozzolino/NY Post design
With the 2026 trade deadline on Saturday, Aug. 3, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman stated his willingness to go all in to win a World Series this year before a potential MLB lockout in 2027.
While he could have been more aggressive during the last two MLB seasons, the 2026 trade deadline allows Cashman to be more hard-nosed in giving up more top prospects like George Lombard Jr. or Spencer Jones.
Cashman can point toward the fact that the Yankees’ starting and relief pitching rotations have been the best in the league compared to years past. Additionally, the Yankees have had to rely on timely hitting, especially with the captain, Aaron Judge, being sidelined with a fracture to his right rib.
Who can Cashman grab in the 2026 trade deadline?
If the Yankees want to upgrade their shortstop position, they can trade Lombard Jr. for Washington Nationals’ young star C.J. Abrams. With a strong, left-handed bat and elite speed, Abrams would be bringing his two-time All-Star talents to the Bronx.
Also, he would be an immediate upgrade over Anthony Volpe, who could also be dealt at the 2026 trade deadline for the highest return possible this season. Abrams has a similar hiccup to Volpe in that he’s inconsistent defensively.
Still, Cashman would be willing to overlook his defense for his career-high .904 OPS, which is near the top among active MLB shortstops. If Cashman wants to go all in for the Nationals’ young phenom, then he must put his money where his mouth is and be willing to let Lombard Jr. go to get another immediate help at the shortstop position.
Why Abrams and why now at 2026 trade deadline?
It’s because Cashman has been reluctant to give up top prospects in the past, when they gave up most of their pitching prospects in 2024 to sign Juan Soto. While the GM was able to acquire Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. at the 2024 trade deadline, the Yankees lacked the high-quality pitching to be able to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in that year’s World Series.
Then in 2025, the Yankees decided to let Soto leave for the Mets, which drew negative criticism from the New York media. That release, however, led to the start of retooling the team’s starting and bullpen pitching when they signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. Then later in the season, the Yankees released slow-pitch fastballer Marcus Stroman and upgraded their bullpen at the deadline.
They traded for Camilo Doval, who has produced mixed results, but when he’s on, he’s on. The team also traded for closer David Bednar, who’s been a consistent option for them. Their starting rotation improved by subtraction when Clarke Schmidt went down and had Tommy John surgery.
This opened the door for rookie Cam Schlittler to make his debut. He was immediately on fire with his upper 90s – 100-mile-an-hour fastball. His welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment came in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against their rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
The flame-throwing starter pitched eight innings of winning baseball, allowing the Yankees to defeat their AL East rivals and move on to the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees would lose a chippy series to the Blue Jays 4-1, but felt that their starting pitching was better than in 2024.
2026 season
Before the season started, the Bronx Bombers felt confident their starting pitching and bullpen rotation would be the best in the league in a long time. They made a surprise acquisition by trading four minor league prospects for a hard-throwing lefty in Ryan Weathers.
The son of David Weathers, Ryan possesses strong strikeout stuff with a fastball topping out at 98 mph. He can be either a starter or another big-arm option in the bullpen.
As of today, the Yankees are better off without Soto, as they now have the best pitching staff in baseball and can add more bats to the lineup. This would help Judge continue to rest his rib until September or October, when they will absolutely need him.
Whatever Cashman says at the podium, it won’t matter until he actually puts his money where his mouth is and trades some top prospects for immediate upgrades. Let’s hope he does!
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Yankees’ First Three Draft Picks Set Tone for Future of Team
