The New York Yankees are in a slump. After dropping nine of their last 12 games, their once-solid lead in the AL East is barely holding, with the surging Tampa Bay Rays — winners of 10 of their last 13 — now just half a game behind.
A major reason for the skid is the Yankees’ sputtering offense. While they still rank fifth in MLB with 407 runs scored, they’ve struggled mightily in recent weeks. Since a 6–3 win over the Royals on June 11, New York has played 14 games and failed to score more than two runs in half of them. The low point came when they were shut out three straight times from June 15–17.
Yankees’ Lead Slipping as Offense Spirals
“The Yankees offense is in a free fall, lacking the dominance they started the season with,” ClutchPoints’ Zachary Howell wrote on Thursday. “With the trade deadline looming, Aaron Boone’s roster needs an upgrade.”
Howell believes he has a solution: a trade that would bolster both offense and defense at second base — a position the Yankees have failed to adequately fill since Gleyber Torres signed with the Detroit Tigers during the offseason.
Instead, Boone has leaned heavily on 36-year-old DJ LeMahieu, who missed the first six weeks of the season with yet another injury. He’s started 35 of the Yankees’ 82 games at second base, but his offensive production has taken a nosedive. Over his last 36 at-bats, LeMahieu has managed just six hits, with only one going for extra bases.
Howell’s proposed fix? Swap LeMahieu and top prospect Roderick Arias for Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies. A three-time All-Star, Albies is 28 and signed to a very team-friendly seven-year, $35 million deal — just $7 million this season. That’s less than half of what LeMahieu is owed, as the Yankees are committed to paying him $15 million this year and again in 2026, when he turns 37.
To land Albies, Howell says, the Yankees would also need to give up 20-year-old shortstop prospect Roderick Arias, their fifth-ranked minor leaguer, who signed for a $4 million bonus out of the Dominican Republic in 2022.
Would Atlanta Actually Consider It?
Albies isn’t having his best season either, with a career-low .624 OPS, but Howell argues a change of scenery could benefit him. He notes that Albies has played better since being dropped lower in the Braves’ batting order, suggesting that early-season pressure may have contributed to his struggles.
Still, longtime Yankees blogger Robert Casey of Bleeding Yankee Blue isn’t buying the idea.
“The Braves aren’t trading Albies unless things completely fall apart in Atlanta,” Casey wrote Thursday. “They’re not giving away stars just because the Yankees toss in a top-five prospect and try to treat DJ like a clearance coupon.”
Regardless of whether Howell’s trade proposal is realistic, one thing is clear: if the Yankees don’t make a bold move soon to revive their offense, they risk wasting a season that once looked destined for at least an ALCS return — if not a World Series run.
