3 Reasons the Yankees Should Entertain the Idea of Trading Aaron Judge

Put your torches and pitchforks away. This is just something to ponder given everything that's gone wrong for the New York Yankees this offseason. Injuries continue to mount for the Bombers and star slugger Aaron Judge is once again one of the casualties after somehow suffering a broken rib between the end of last year and the beginning of Spring Training.

At this point, you simply cannot justify giving the 27-year-old a lengthy contract extension. We're not being pessimistic, but his only reputable year came in 2017, when he finished second in the MVP voting and helped slug the Yankees to the ALCS. Other than that? Yes, he's hit 54 home runs across the last two seasons, but he's only played in 214 out of a possible 324 games. That's just not going to cut it, and he's already going to miss time to kick off 2020.

So here are three reasons general manager Brian Cashman should CONSIDER the idea, just in case we get to this point over the next few months.

3. He's Really the Only Tradeable Asset (That Makes Sense to Move) on the MLB Roster

Think about it. Nobody is trading for Giancarlo Stanton and his mammoth deal. You can also add Aaron Hicks, Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier and perhaps a couple more to that list. The Yanks simply won't part ways with Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu, and there's no sense in trading any up-and-coming prospects because the team is well-equipped with few needs (though we'll see how the starting rotation does). That leaves Judge, who is under club control through 2022. The Yanks could get some serious value in return for him and not have to stress about his health holding the team back.

2. The Yankees Can't Feel Comfortable Paying Him Within the Next Year

As previously mentioned, Judge will become a free agent after 2022, and he's already out indefinitely with his rib injury. Why in the world would the Yankees invest in him long term at this juncture? It's obvious the good way to go about business here is to lock up your young star player during his arbitration years, but Judge has made that virtually impossible for the Yankees to feel comfortable with, especially after immediately being burned by similar deals for Aaron Hicks and Luis Severino. As a result, New York could just be sitting here for the next couple of years either dealing with Judge's health issues, or putting a contract burden on their shoulders they don't necessarily need.

1. They Have the Outfield Depth to Survive While Jasson Dominguez Develops

Sure, there are some question marks here for the long term, but we've seen what this unit has been able to do over the past two seasons WITHOUT Judge AND Stanton. Clint Frazier, assuming he gets consistent playing time, should develop into an everyday player who is under club control for quite some time. Hicks will be back after undergoing Tommy John, and he just signed a seven-year deal. Mike Tauchman proved his worth, and he's also under club control for a while. Throw in Andujar getting some reps out there, Stanton getting back to full health (hopefully), and Jasson Dominguez developing in the minors, and the Yankees would be able to absorb the loss of Judge in the short and long term.