The New York Yankees acquired dangerously little offensive manufacturing from their shortstop place within the 2026 season, with all shortstops managing solely a collective .664 OPS. Maybe the principle perpetrator was former first-round decide Anthony Volpe, who performed solely 70 video games with a .658 OPS.
However a brand new commerce pitch aimed on the Yankees and Cincinnati Reds, revealed Saturday by Baseball Commerce Values, through which the Yankees rid themselves of Volpe and produce again a large improve within the type of two-time All-Star Elly De La Cruz. The worth, nonetheless, would even be large because the Yankees would give up their No. 1 prospect and their prime two pitching prospects, in addition to Volpe within the eight-player deal.
The blockbuster commerce pitch proposes sending De La Cruz from the Reds to New York in change for six gamers.
The commerce proposal additionally fingers New York Ke’Bryan Hayes’ contract. Is the worth truthful for a celebrity?
Cincinnati would obtain Volpe, outfielder Jasson Dominguez, right-handers Will Warren, Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange, and shortstop prospect Dax Kilby. These latter three gamers are the Yankees’ prime three prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline. The positioning’s mannequin charges the Reds’ package deal at 99.6 factors of surplus worth and the Yankees’ at 97.7. Near a tie.
New York Yankees Improve: De La Cruz Over Volpe
De La Cruz, 24, a 6-foot-5 switch-hitter from Sabana Grande de Boyá, signed from the Dominican Republic in 2018 and debuted in June 2023. He hit 30 residence runs and stole 30 bases in 2026, batting .283/.365/.515 with 79 RBI. His profession line is .262/.338/.463 with 90 homers and 169 steals, and he’s a two-time All-Star. Errors have dogged his protection, although he has stayed at shortstop.
Volpe, a 25-year-old New York native, hit .245 with two homers in 70 video games this season. His profession .225 common and .662 OPS include 54 homers in 542 video games, and his glove is the stronger instrument. De La Cruz’s 2026 OPS of .880 tops Volpe’s .657 by 223 factors.
Hayes, 29, a 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates first-round decide and son of longtime main leaguer Charlie Hayes, owns two Gold Gloves. This 12 months he batted .141 with 5 homers in 94 video games, and his profession .652 OPS in 722 video games exhibits how far the bat has fallen. He’s signed by 2029 on an eight-year, $70 million contract extension, and the mannequin assigns him a surplus of unfavorable 22.8.
Reds Rebuild: Kilby, Rodriguez and Lagrange
Kilby, 19, was the thirty ninth total decide in 2025 out of Newnan Excessive Faculty in Newnan, Georgia. He’s the Yankees’ top-rated prospect. Hamstring bother restricted him to about 36 video games this season, however he’s hitting close to .290 in Arizona. Rodriguez, 23, from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, went 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA within the minors in 2025, then went 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in six massive league begins.
Lagrange, 23, a 6-foot-7 Dominican right-hander, has a fastball reaching 102 or 103 mph. Warren, 27, from Brandon, Mississippi, went 11-6 with a 3.92 ERA. Dominguez, 23, hit .225 with six homers in 57 video games.
Cincinnati’s calls for are on report. The membership with the Eleventh-lowest payroll in MLB final season would require a major overpay together with main leaguers to maneuver De La Cruz, who’s underneath management by 2029. The Reds additionally turned down Boston’s all-prospect supply on the deadline, in accordance with MassLive. This package deal contains 4 gamers already within the majors.
De La Cruz is on a one-year, $800,000 deal earlier than his first arbitration elevate, and Cincinnati would shed Hayes’ cash. De La Cruz is estimated to be in line for an arbitration award of $7.9 million in 2027 wage, a sum that would show a difficulty for the frugal Cincinnati franchise.
For the Yankees, the shortstop swap trades Volpe’s glove for De La Cruz’s .880 OPS on the place, however the membership additionally absorbs Hayes by 2029 and surrenders Rodriguez and Lagrange, two of its most extremely rated arms. Is that steep? The mannequin says the Yankees pay in quantity, not in any single asset.
The valuation lands at a 1.9-point edge for the Reds. De La Cruz’s 120.5 alone outweighs all six incoming gamers mixed, and Hayes’ unfavorable 22.8 closes the hole. Rodriguez (15.2) and Lagrange (11.5) collectively complete 26.7, nonetheless beneath Kilby’s 30.7.
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