Report: Yankees open to trading players on expiring deals

The New York Yankees may be ready to sell a few pieces.

New York told teams that it's open to discussing deadline deals for its players on expiring contracts, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. That group would include right-hander Luis Severino, outfielder Harrison Bader, lefty reliever Wandy Peralta, and utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa, among others.

While the Yankees are prepared to field offers for their pending free agents, there's no guarantee they'll deal any of them before Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. The possibility that New York acquires a young, controllable player instead of trading away rentals is also still on the table, Sherman adds.

Despite sitting five games above .500 with a positive run differential, the Yankees head into deadline day sitting last in the AL East, nine games back of the first-place Baltimore Orioles and 3.5 games out of the final wild-card spot. New York started the season strong but was derailed in June when Aaron Judge landed on the injured list with a toe injury.

If they punt on this season, the Yankees would reportedly be doing so to retool for a 2024 playoff push instead of heading into a complete rebuild.

Peralta would undoubtedly have plenty of suitors as a dependable left-handed reliever, sporting a 2.29 ERA and 4.55 FIP this season. The 32-year-old has been particularly lethal against left-handed hitters, holding them to a paltry .091/.242/.091 slash line in 67 plate appearances.

Bader owns a .711 OPS with seven homers, 33 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases, along with five defensive runs saved in center field, across 56 games this season. The Yankees acquired the Bronx native at last year's deadline for pitcher Jordan Montgomery.

Kiner-Falefa has been a versatile utility piece for manager Aaron Boone, appearing at every position except first base and catcher at least once this year. The 28-year-old owns a .696 OPS with five homers and 28 RBIs in 80 games this year.

Severino could be an intriguing addition for contenders. He's a two-time All-Star with tremendous talent and playoff experience, but he started this season on the IL with a lat strain and is amid the worst campaign of his career. After allowing a season-high nine earned runs Sunday in Baltimore, the 29-year-old sports a 7.49 ERA and 1.84 WHIP with 50 strikeouts and 24 walks through 12 starts.