Why Matt Olson is the Yankees Answer at 1st base @Lonsksk

by Adam King

The Yankees enter the 2022 season with a question mark at the 1st base position. Many will call for the return of Anthony Rizzo, who the Yankees acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago Cubs. Rizzo is going into his age 32 season and showed signs of declining during his limited time in NY. These issues seem to be related to a back injury Rizzo sustained with the Cubs, but I for one would look to avoid a 32 year old player with back issues (ask Don Mattingly).

In steps 27 year old Matt Olson, the Oakland A’s are in the midst of a firesale and they want to shed as much salary as possible before the 2022 season begins. The Yankees and A’s have matched up numerous times throughout the past few seasons and the relationship between Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Oakland A’s Vice President Billy Beane is a strong one. According to multiple sources (including our own @SimonettiSource), the Yankees are pushing hard for an Olson deal and personally I believe you can see this happening sooner rather than later. With the most recent signing of Joely Rodriguez (for $2 million dollars) the Yankees 40 man roster sits at exactly 40. This means you can expect plenty of movement between now and Nov. 19 (the deadline to protect Rule 5 eligible players) and I suspect an Olson deal could be looming.

You may be asking yourself what would an Olson trade look like? Well lets just say it’s gonna have to hurt to get this type of talent onto your ball club. Olson is universally seen as a top 5 player at 1st base, who put up monster numbers last season and plays Gold Glove quality defense (finished runner up for the Gold Glove in 2021). Olson’s 2021 was a career year in which he hit .271/.371/.911 (BA/OBP/OPS), had 39 homers, drove in 111 RBIs, and put up an incredible 5.8 WAR. He also was able to drop his K% in half and oh by the way he has two years of club control before becoming a FA. So the asking price will be steep and the package would have to start with a top prospect like Oswald Peraza, Peraza is the Yankees No.3 prospect (according to MLB.com) and has developed into a valuable asset. His defense is seen as MLB ready and the bat is there as well (yet still developing), so there’s a strong chance if he’s moved you will see Peraza as the Opening Day SS in Oakland. Add prospects Everson Pereira (#13) and Yoendrys Gomez (#10), plus Luke Voit (who Oakland would most likely look to flip somewhere else), and cash (to cover whatever Voit’s contract would be) and that’s the type of package Oakland will be looking for.

Players like Matt Olson rarely ever become available, and if it weren’t for the cheapness of the Oakland A’s the Yankees would not have the golden opportunity to have their 1st baseman for the next half decade. It is my belief that you will see Brian Cashman not let this opportunity pass him by and he will pounce to get an Olson trade done as soon as possible.

Trade Prediction:

Yankees Receive: