ORLANDO, Fla. — The Yankees are still trying to make a trade or two before the Monday deadline to freeze 40-man rosters for December’s Rule 5 draft, and one player who has surprisingly caught their attention is Texas’ Jurickson Profar.
The Yankees are deep in infield prospects, so there is no obvious place for Profar – once the top prospect in the game – to play.
But it seems the Yankees would be willing to take on a single player with upside and pedigree in exchange for multiple players who are crowding their deep 40-man roster.
Texas is interested in the Yankees’ excess pitching whether Profar is in a deal or not. The list of pitchers who are at least a debate whether to stay on the 40-man or be put on despite eligibility includes Luis Cessa, Bryan Mitchell, Caleb Smith, Chasen Shreve, Ronald Herrera, Ben Heller, Jonathan Holder, Gio Gallegos, Cale Coshow, J.P. Feyersien and several others.
There is no certainty Texas will deal Profar, since he was the consensus No. 1 prospect in the game before the 2013 season. Texas’ current shortstop, Elvis Andrus, can opt out of his contract after next season, and third baseman Adrian Beltre is a free agent. Thus, Profar provides the potential for long-term protection.
However, Profar is out of options, so must be on the 25-man roster next season or be exposed to waivers, and his fall the last few years has been precipitous. He missed all of the 2014-15 seasons due to shoulder injuries. He returned in 2016 to be a jack of all trades, but never matched his previous hype and last season, in 22 games, hit .172 with no homers and a .501 OPS. And Profar was not even called up in September to the majors when rosters expanded — that in part also kept him from building service time and shortening his period to free agency.
The belief has long been that if Profar was traded, the Padres would be the most obvious suitor. San Diego needs a shortstop for 2018, plus its GM, A.J. Preller, was a significant figure in international procurement for the Rangers when Profar was signed. The Blue Jays are looking for a multi-positional type like Profar, and many teams would be interested in taking a look-see at Profar because he doesn’t turn 25 until February, doesn’t cost a lot (about $1 million next year) and is a switch-hitter who plays all over the field and might still tap into his upside.
The Yankees currently have Didi Gregorius at short and Starlin Castro at second. But Brian Cashman has indicated that Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres and Tyler Wade will be given opportunities to take playing time from Chase Headley at third. So, in theory, Profar could become part of that third base battle. In addition, he could unseat Ronald Torreyes as the primary utilityman, just with first base and left field also part of his résumé.
Profar would fit into the Yankees philosophy in recent years in which they are willing to acquire prime-aged players with upside such as Gregorius, who like Profar was raised in Curacao, or Aaron Hicks, who like Profar was a switch-hitter who had not yet honored his pedigree. At the 2016 trade deadline, the Yankees dealt Carlos Beltran to the Rangers for a package headed by Dillon Tate, who had been the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft, but with Texas had lost status — much like Profar has now.