3 Players the Yankees Need to Explore Trading in the Offseason

It's quite possible New York Yankees fans still haven't registered what happened on Saturday night. In one of the toughest losses ever witnessed in the ALCS, the Bombers were eliminated in the bottom of the ninth after tying the game with DJ LeMahieu's clutch two-run blast in the top half of the inning.

But the Yanks can't sit around and feel sorry for themselves. The offseason is right around the corner and there are a lot of moves to be made in New York. We talked about impending free agents, but what about players the team should explore trading over the next couple of weeks?

3. Miguel Andujar

Minnesota Twins v New York Yankees / Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

This is just a tough situation. Miguel Andujar was one of the best rookies in the MLB in 2018, but he missed all of 2019, and Gio Urshela has emerged as both an offensive and defensive stud. Perhaps an argument could be made for trading Urshela and selling high considering the campaign he just had, but the Bombers might just want to play it safe and exchange Andujar for another area of need on the roster. There's no sense in keeping both of these guys.

2. JA Happ

League Championship Series - New York Yankees v Houston Astros - Game Two / Bob Levey/Getty Images

Nobody is surprised by this, but it won't be easy to offload Happ's $17 million salary for 2020. He just finished the year with a 4.91 ERA, and despite a solid playoff performance, he gave up a walk-off homer in Game 2. The Yanks might need to eat some salary here or package him with another enticing name to get him fully off the books. Then they have to use that money to get a top arm, because that's what this team desperately needs, to make things easier for the 'pen and the rest of the staff.

1. Gary Sanchez

League Championship Series - Houston Astros v New York Yankees - Game Four / Elsa/Getty Images

At this point, I'm not so sure many Yankee fans would argue with this. Gary Sanchez is a liability in more ways than one; he's injury-prone, he's simply not good at defense, and his offense never shows up at the right time. While those are clear to the naked eye, Sanchez is coming off an All-Star campaign where he hit .232/.316/.525 with 34 home runs and 77 RBI. The Yankees could sell high here and give Romine, who is a much better defender and situational hitter, the starting job at a cheaper price in the long run.