Brian Cashman pledged the Yankees would be aggressive ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and the general manager has kept his word so far, adding another veteran depth piece late Saturday night.
The Yankees are acquiring utilityman Amed Rosario from the Washington National, the teams announced Saturday night. In return, New York sent two minor leaguers — right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfielder Browm Martinez — to D.C. to complete the deal. Beeter is the better of the two prospects, at least for now, currently ranked No. 20 on MLB Pipeline’s Yankees prospects list.
Rosario is a heady pickup for Cashman and the Yankees, even after acquiring Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. The journeyman (who has been flipped at the deadline multiple times in his career) offers two main things: more right-handed hitting depth and positional versatility. Rosario has played shortstop, second base, third base and outfield in his career, so Aaron Boone will be able to move him around the diamond to address the mounting needs.
He could get some run in the New York outfield, especially after the Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the injured list with an elbow injury. Rosario certainly won’t put up Judge-like numbers in the heart of the New York lineup, but he hits left-handers well (.816 OPS vs. southpaws this season). That might also make him a logical choice to split time with McMahon, a left-handed hitter, at third base moving forward.
Rosario broke into the big leagues with the New York Mets in 2017 when he was one of the best prospects in all of baseball. He never quite lived up to those expectations in Queens, though. His best season came in 2019 when he hit 15 home runs and drove in 72 runs. Ultimately, the Mets made him a centerpiece of the Francisco Lindor trade in January of 2021, sending him to Cleveland.
Rosario had the best season of his career in 2022 with the Guardians as a four-win player while hitting 11 home runs, driving in 71 runs and stealing 18 bases. He hasn’t been able to replicate that success since, though, bouncing around the big leagues for stops with the Dodgers, Rays, Reds, Nationals and now the Yankees.
With McMahon and Rosario both in the fold, it’s worth wondering whether the Yankees are unofficially out of the running for Eugenio Suarez, the consensus top player available ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
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