Yankees fail to fire up fanbase as MLB trade deadline passes with little movement
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman during a news conference at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 16, 2025. Credit: Ed Murray
That’s it?
Yep, that’s it.
The Yankees trade deadline, while not in the category of dud, nonetheless left much of the fanbase feeling that way.
As well as some inside the organization, though none there went so far as to use the word "dud."
“There’s some disappointment,” said one organizational insider shortly after Monday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.
Said another: “I can’t help but feel like we needed to do more.”
The result of the literally hundreds of trade concepts and/or ideas presented by general manager Brian Cashman, or presented to him, by rival general managers in recent weeks resulted in the Yankees securing all of two pieces before Monday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.
Pieces, no doubt, that should be useful ones for the stretch run as the Yankees try to overtake the Rays in the American League East and further their position as one of the favorites – whether they win the division or not – to win the AL pennant.
First baseman/DH Luis Garcia Jr., who in Cashman’s words “crushes righties,” came aboard Sunday after a deal with the Nationals and arrived in The Bronx Monday before the Yankees started a three-game series against the Cardinals at the Stadium (he started at first and batted third).
And less than two hours before Monday’s deadline, it was righty-hitting outfielder Heliot Ramos acquired from the Giants.
Objectively, it is inarguable that, on the surface, both players made the roster better.
And though that is far more from an offensive standpoint than a defensive one – neither are considered strong on the latter side of the ball – that’s OK given the couldn’t-hit-water-falling-out-of-a-boat nature of the offense the last two-plus months since Aaron Judge has been out (with his return at some point before the end of the regular season still a cloudy reputation at best).
Ramos, described by one NL scout as “meh” on defense but also as “a good hitter who will give you professional at-bats daily, is particularly good against lefty pitching, slashing .292/.343/.492 this season.
Speaking specifically of Garcia, who entered Monday slashing .283/.313/.560 with 23 homers in 104 games, including slashing .295/.325/.593 with 20 homers against righthanders, Cashman said: “(We) went into deadline looking for ways to improve our offense and he does that. Gives us more flexibility, more choices, more impact. It makes us deeper and makes us better. Period.”
Yet, there were needs left on the cutting room floor, those needs unaddressed because of a combination of more teams than not in “buy” mode at the deadline and, as Cashman referenced, sky-high asking prices.
At least, prices the Yankees, who like most teams in the sport have developed an almost unhealthy obsession with their own prospects, were unwilling to pay.
“It’s always hard to find matches,” Cashman said.
The desire to acquire a righty-hitting catcher, something the organization internally felt would be a trade deadline need almost from the time the club left spring training in late March, never came to fruition. The Yankees top target in that area was Ryan Jeffers but, with the Twins getting hot in recent weeks to play themselves into wild-card contention – and maybe AL Central contention given the overall weakness of that division – Minnesota wasn’t selling.
Nor did anything related to the bullpen get done. That was an area, like catcher, that was assumed to be something akin to fait accompli as being addressed at the deadline. And that was even before Monday night’s implosion against the Cardinals.
“We definitely looked and engaged and tried to upgrade,” Cashman said of his relief corps. “Not a lot of arms that moved bullpen wise. [It was] more starters moving and a lot less relievers, especially high impact ones. We were unable to find the matches there.”
Cashman mentioned the return of starter Carlos Rodon, expected at some point this month, as something that will benefit the bullpen. Because once the veteran lefthander comes back, it likely will be either Ryan Weathers or Will Warren bullpen-bound.
Clarke Schmidt, still having a seamless rehab from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last season and a possibility to return before the end of the regular season, could be a multi-inning option there as well.
In the end, the Yankees’ relative lack of activity reflected, more than anything, Cashman’s belief in the current roster and its potential. Swinging big at the deadline wasn’t deemed a necessity, even as AL East rivals Boston and Tampa Bay made significant moves.
“We like the players we have and like the players on the come [due back from the injured list],” Cashman said.
A reasonable take, though it’s also reasonable to wonder if this was a missed opportunity.
The watered down AL is there for the taking, and the Yankees had the wherewithal, both in prospects and finances, to separate themselves from the field with an aggressive deadline approach rather than what appears to have been a passive one.
The roster certainly has been improved.
Less certain is if it will be enough.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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