The New York Yankees are predicted to make bold moves ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. One particularly daring move they could make is trading away breakout slugger Ben Rice. The 26-year-old first baseman is having a breakout year, slashing .235/.326/.466 with 14 home runs in just 264 at-bats. He’s crushed the ball all year, posting an average 93.2 mph exit velocity and producing a barrel in 10.6% of his plate appearances. Numbers like that and a remaining half-decade of team control makes him an incredibly valuable trade piece. And with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and DH Giancarlo Stanton relegating Rice to part-time play, the Yankees could maximize his current value by trading him. Offering Rice in trade proposals could enable the Yankees to upgrade without offloading top prospects like George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones and Cam Schlittler. For example, a package of Rice and a few second-tier prospects could land Arizona Diamondbacks’ third baseman Eugenio Suarez (.250/.320/.569) and starting pitcherRead More
The case for the Yankees trading Ben Rice at the deadline
