Encarnación deal could imply bigger deals in near future

The Yankee’s trade for Edwin Encarnación was a bit surprising considering the team needs pitching depth, not the top leading home run hitter in the league.  However as Jack Curry stated below, when you have a chance to get one of the premier hitters in baseball, you go get him.

.@JackCurryYES: The Yankees picked up an elite hitter, who’s also a smart hitter, who’s also a feared hitter. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/UdXmq3Z7Lo

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 16, 2019

The Yankees completed a trade with the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.  The price the Yankees had to pay was minimal;  A young pitching prospect named Juan Then and cash considerations.  Even if it doesn’t make much sense now, depth up and down the lineup is never a bad thing.  The addition of Encarnación makes the Yankee lineup that much deeper.  He is a legitimate threat to hit a home run every at bat and he has plenty of playoff experience.  His .241 average leaves a bit to be desired, but he’s extremely productive with 21 home runs and 49 RBIs

The addition of Encarnación also spells pending doom for certain Yankees.  If he was brought in to shore up the lineup, does this mean now that some of these Yankees are expendable?  Where does Clint Frazier fit in all of this?  What about Brett Gardner and Gio Urshela?  Encarnación will primarily play DH but that doesn’t mean that he can’t fill in at third.

In most opinions, this deal is a sign that the Yankees are working on something bigger.  If Frazier is the centerpiece to this deal, then it makes a lot of sense that the Yankees need some serious offensive depth.  Whether it be for Madison Bumgarner or Trevor Bauer, the Yankees are definitely cooking with something.  What that something is has yet to be revealed.