The rumors are flying fast in the final hours before the trade deadline. This close to the cutoff for non-waiver trades, so are the actual trades. Which means the shelf life of these rumors might not be what they were a week ago but we’re still doing them. Because they’re fun, dangit.
Trade rumor grade: Curtis Granderson could reunite with the Yankees
He spent four seasons in pinstripes at the beginning of the decade.
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
The rumor
MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, who has been liberal with the last minute deadline rumors and we thank him for that, is reporting that multiple teams are interested in Jays’ outfielder Curtis Granderson. Among them, his former team the Yankees and similarly strong contender the Phillies.
Both teams need outfield help right now but the Yankees are the team making the most trades today so let’s focus on them.
Why it makes sense for the Blue Jays to trade Curtis Granderson
The Blue Jays are extremely out of the running this year, and they know it. They’ve already made multiple trades (Roberto Osuna, J.A. Happ) that have made their selling status more than clear and gives teams an idea of what types of returns they are looking for for the players available.
Granderson, who is currently on a one-year deal worth $5 million in Toronto, looks to be the next man on the block and that makes sense. With a .987 fielding percentage in 59 games across all outfield positions he could help a team that needs outfield support both in the field and at the plate and net the Jays a decent prospect in return. No one considered top of the heap as he’s a 37-year old rental, but something.
Why the Yankees would trade for Curtis Granderson
Granderson’s years with the Yankees were good ones — he hit .245/.335/.495 with an .829 OPS and a 120 OPS+ from 2010 to 2013 — and with Aaron Judge injured for at least a few weeks (best case scenario) they could some additional help in the outfield. New York would fare fine enough without making this trade, but
He’s currently hitting .233/.334/.419 with a .753 OPS, 106 OPS+ and 10 home runs so while he’s not the power hitter he used to be, there’s also not many people still under that assumption. New York has been focused on pitching for the most part until now at this deadline, but they have other needs and have proven via multiple trades that trading within the division isn’t as huge an obstacle as it has been in past years.
Rumor grade
B+. With Judge out and Clint Frazier still dealing with post-concussion syndromes and unable to step in, they Yankees need bodies. They have a farm system that could spare a mid-level player to acquire Granderson. Considering the Grandy Man’s contract situation and salary, having him on hand while Judge is recovering or for a deep run in the playoffs is smart. This seems like a deal that could get done.
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