The New York Yankees have the means to go on a deep run this season in the American League.
The American League is weak, to say the least. The Yankees have the best record in the American League at 46-30. The Tampa Bay Rays have the second-best record in the American League, but are two games behind New York. The Yankees are loaded and will get even better as guys like Aaron Judge and Max Fried return to the mix.
This Yankees team is the real deal. If they could add a little more offensive firepower, they could very well end up being the Los Angeles Dodgers' biggest threat to win the World Series this season. On Monday, FanSided's Robert Murray made an intriguing suggestion and called Washington Nationals star shortstop CJ Abrams the "best fit" for New York this summer.
"New York Yankees," Murray wrote. "Best fit: C.J. Abrams, Washington Nationals. This is a very winnable American League, and the Yankees should absolutely be thinking big. What that could look like remains to be seen as the trade market is still very much unsettled. But Brian Cashman should make a call to the Nationals to see what it would take to pry C.J. Abrams out of Washington. It may not be the most likely option with Paul Toboni not looking to trade the star shortstop, but Toboni wasn’t looking to trade MacKenzie Gore when the Texas Rangers came calling, and a deal was eventually reached. Who says Cashman can’t do the same with Abrams?"
This is the exact type of move that would put New York over the top. Abrams is slashing .286/.367/.534 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs in 76 games played this season. Imagine adding that production to the lineup on top of Judge returning? That would be enough to get past Los Angeles.