WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE TRADED TO THE YANKEES AT THE DEADLINE

At some point between now and 6 p.m. Tuesday, a player or two — or perhaps three or four — will get a call from their general manager or agent informing them that they have been traded to the Yankees.

Before long, they will be asked how soon they can get to New York — or maybe even Boston or Philadelphia, the two cities the Yankees will visit on this road trip leading into the trade deadline — as their life enters a period of upheaval. And oh, by the way, please keep pitching or hitting at your top level while jumping into a pennant race and a new clubhouse with two months left in the regular season.

Easy enough?

“I mean, it’s just a lot,” said Clay Holmes, who would know after getting traded from the Pirates to the Yankees four days before the 2021 deadline.

To be clear, Holmes was not complaining. Just being realistic. And for him, the chance to pitch in meaningful games and to try to win a World Series was invigorating — not to mention the Yankees helping him become an All-Star by the following season.

But Holmes will likely have a new bullpen-mate or two by this time next week. Another bat may be arriving, too, for the sprint to October that can be chaotic for those joining on the fly.

“The whole rest of the year is just kind of crazy,” Holmes said this week. “I mean, most of the time it just depends on the situation — but you’re in a hotel for the rest of the year. You never really feel like you have one place you would call home necessarily.”

The days leading up to the trade deadline (on Tuesday this year) can be unnerving for a lot of different people involved in baseball, beyond just those who are making the deals. There are the big leaguers who are about to get traded to contenders, the big leaguers on contenders who are about to be out of a job because their team traded for somebody better and the prospects in the minor leagues who are constantly checking their phones to see whether their contending big-league team is about use them as collateral for a deal. And many of the names mentioned as trade candidates in the weeks leading up to the deadline don’t get dealt at all.

By 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, many will be able to exhale. For others, the craziness is just getting started.

“There’s definitely a lot of emotions around this time of year — people on a lot of different sides of it,” Holmes said. “For me, it was one of the things where you get traded to a contender, a team that’s trying to really go for it and win. So it’s just a big boost of energy. Everything’s kind of new. You meet a lot of new people, midseason, [and] you’re having to figure things out off the field. It’s kind of a little bit of chaos, but it just gives you kind of a big boost.”

There are challenges that come with getting traded regardless of when on the calendar it happens. (When the Yankees acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the eve of spring training in 2022, he had just been dealt from the Rangers to the Twins a day earlier and had only packed for one month of spring training — mostly Lululemon clothes — with the rest of his belongings staying back in Texas, where the Yankees didn’t visit until the final series of the season. So he essentially bought a whole new wardrobe when he got to New York.)

But being dealt at the trade deadline represents another kind of beast because your new team’s 50-some remaining games are going to be that much more significant.

Holmes got traded on an off day, and after he got the call, he and his wife spent the rest of the day packing up as much of their home in Pittsburgh as they could. They filled his truck to the brim and shipped it to New York, then shipped whatever was left back to their offseason home.

The reliever packed a suitcase, and by the next morning, he was flying to Tampa to meet the team. Two days later, he was making his Yankees debut by throwing a scoreless eighth inning in a 14-0 loss.

“For some people, it’s a good thing — it’s kind of somewhat of a distraction,” Holmes said. “You’re trying to figure out hotels, where you’re gonna stay. For a couple of weeks, there’s just so much going on. When you show up to the field, it’s like, ‘Oh finally, I can just get to pitching now.’ For some people, that distraction’s kind of good.

“But off-the-field stuff, it can be chaotic. You can obviously make it as simple as you want, but some people have kids or other moving parts [that make it] a little more challenging.”

The Yankees will be hoping the players they acquire can make as big of an impact as Holmes did. Despite the hectic nature of the time, Holmes thrived in going from a last-place team to a playoff chase.

“For me, it was just exciting,” he said. “You get traded to the Yankees. They see something they really like in you — that adds some confidence. And not that you’re ever out there thinking that you’re pitching for yourself — you’re always trying to win — but it’s like, man, you get thrown into this environment, you’re out there trying to really do all you can to help the team win. You feel kind of that group cohesiveness. Everybody wants to win a World Series, so to get traded to that possibility is fun.”

That said, for various reasons, not all deadline additions work out as well as Holmes did. The past few years have had some rough ones for the Yankees, including Frankie Montas, Andrew Benintendi, Joey Gallo and Andrew Heaney.

“I think you can always need help or want help or a guy or two,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But that’s not always a magic pill, either. Again, it takes a couple teams being able to match up, and that’s not always easy to do. We’ll see how it plays out and see where we land. [By Tuesday night], we’ll be able to put this behind us and know exactly what we’re playing with.”

Buying in bulk

GM Brian Cashman has shown a tendency in the past to do some one-stop shopping when he can (i.e. Montas and Lou Trivino from the A’s in 2022, Gallo and Joely Rodriguez from the Rangers in 2021, Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson from the White Sox in 2017).

What could be the most impactful (and semi-realistic) duos he could land this year?

• INF Luis Rengifo and RP Carlos Estevez from the Angels

Rengifo just returned from a stint on the injured list due to wrist inflammation, which could be a cause for concern, but the switch-hitter would be a useful fit for the Yankees. He can play third base or second base (and be a backup shortstop), perhaps be an answer to the Yankees’ leadoff problem and entered Thursday batting .309 with a 119 OPS-plus and 22 steals. He also has one more year of control beyond this season.

Estevez, a pending free agent, would bring a power arm to the bullpen, and he experience as a closer.

• INF Amed Rosario and RP Garrett Cleavinger or RP Jason Adam from Rays

The real jackpot from the Rays would be third baseman/first baseman Isaac Paredes, but he might cost the Yankees someone such as Spencer Jones. Paredes has three more years of team control after 2024.

Rosario, a pending free agent, might be a more realistic fit, would provide some defensive versatility and could help the Yankees against left-handed pitching, which they have struggled with mightily this season.

Cleavinger instantly would become the Yankees’ best lefty in the bullpen, while both he and Adam would bring the swing-and-miss threat they have been missing.

• 3B Matt Chapman and RP Taylor Rogers from Giants

Whether or not the Giants actually sell remains to be seen. But Chapman would provide a steady bat, some speed and top-notch defense at the hot corner. Rogers would be the lefty reliever the Yankees need.

Catch a rising star

Carlos Narvaez has not gotten much of an opportunity yet to show his defensive chops behind the plate, which he is known for more than his bat. But the injured catcher he was brought up to replace is a big fan of the 25-year-old Narvaez.

“Special player,” Jose Trevino said. “Work ethic, focus, intensity. He’s gonna do good. I’m excited for him.”

Narvaez’s pitch framing in particular has stood out to the Yankees in spring training the past few years, but Trevino also pointed to Narvaez’s mindset.

“Paying attention to him and watching how he went about his business the past two years in spring training and stuff, he’s always been very opening to listening,” Trevino said. “If he had any questions, he’s always come up to me. He’s going to do fine, he’s a good player.”

2024-07-26T12:40:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd