by A trade between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays for slugger Curtis Granderson makes sense with right fielder Aaron Judge, top outfield prospect Clint Frazier, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and catcher Gary Sanchez on the disabled list.
The chance of a Yankees–Curtis Granderson reunion just got a little better.
Granderson has cleared waivers, according to The Athletic’s Robert Murray, which means he could be traded to any team.
The Yankees could use somebody like Granderson, though he’s not a perfect fit.
With the timetable for Aaron Judge‘s (fractured right wrist) unclear, manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman could like Granderson as a right field fill-in and a September bench bat until Judge returns.
While the Yankees likely would prefer to add a righty hitter — the Yankees have enough lefty pitching and catcher Gary Sanchez’s righty bat is on the disabled list, too — Granderson makes sense on several levels.
Granderson has shown he’s more than capable of playing in New York. He played there for seven-plus seasons. Granderson spent four years with the Yankees, attending a pair of All-Star Games while in pinstripes. He also played with the Mets for three-plus years.
Granderson also still has some pop (10 home runs, .747 OPS) and he hits right-handers well, though he’d have to be benched vs. lefties.
Also, while Granderson’s defense has slipped in recent years, he would be fine handling the short right field at Yankee Stadium. At the very least, he’d be as good as Neil Walker, who’s been starting at the position lately for the first time in his career.
After the trade deadline, Cashman said that he didn’t trade for a bat — despite the absences of Judge and Sanchez — because teams’ asking prices were too high. He also said he imagined any addition playing sparingly. That was before Shane Robinson was forced into the starting lineup far more than the Yankees wanted with Judge ailing.
Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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