Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and MLB on Fox claims that he believes the Yankees won’t do anything in the trade market to address Aaron Judge’s absence. He admits New York is still possibly looking to make some sort of trade, but it won’t be for an outfielder.
“Not at all,” said Rosenthal when answering a question about the Yankees’ trade plans with Aaron Judge on the IL. “After trading for Ryan McMahon on Friday, the Yankees’ plan was to focus on pitching. That is still their plan. They need multiple relievers and a starter as well.”
With the trade deadline on July 31, the Yankees have several days before making a final decision. It’s not entirely clear which pitchers the front office is possibly seeking, but improving the starting rotation and bullpen would go a long way for a team that went to the World Series last season.
There were some concerns when the 33-year-old outfielder was initially placed on the 10-day IL. However, Aaron Judge didn’t seem to be concerned about it and claimed that he plans to DH as soon as the 10 days are up. If that’s the case, then it wouldn’t make sense for the Yankees to trade for an outfielder to replace Judge.
So far, Aaron Judge has only missed one game, as he was placed on the IL on Saturday, July 26. If he returns after 10 days, then Judge’s return would likely come in early August. More specifically, in the middle of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, or he could return in the following series against the Houston Astros.
Benedetto Vitale has nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, with expertise in covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and UFC. The Oregon alumni resides in Corvallis, Oregon, and has previous bylines at BroBible and Athlon Sports.