4:25pm: The teams are finalizing the trade, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. It’s “believed” the Giants will get left-hander Henry Lalane as the main prospect in the swap, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays. They will also receive infield prospect Kaeden Kent, Sherman reports.
3:59pm: The Yankees are working on a deal to acquire outfielder Heliot Ramos from the Giants, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The sides are moving toward an agreement, but it is pending medical review, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Ramos would be the second notable pre-deadline offensive acquisition for the Yankees, who landed first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. in a trade with the Nationals on Sunday. The Garcia addition gave the Yankees yet another left-handed hitter to join a lineup that includes Ben Rice, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Spencer Jones and Ryan McMahon. They also have switch-hitting outfielder Jasson Dominguez and lefty-batting outfielder Cody Bellinger, though the latter has been on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain since July 26.
With superstar Aaron Judge on the shelf as a result of a stress fracture in his rib since early June, the Yankees have been low on righty-swinging threats for two months. That is particularly true in the outfield, where the right-handed Ramos will provide some variety and a credible offensive option from the right side. Since debuting with the Giants in 2022, Ramos has slashed .257/.316/.419 (106 wRC+) in 1,601 plate appearances. Most of his success has come against lefties, whom he has teed off on for a .279/.345/.501 line. Ramos has been 33 percent better than average versus southpaws, per wRC+ The 26-year-old hasn’t been as effective while facing same-handed hurlers, though he has still hit a playable .249/.305/.388 (95 wRC+) against them.
During his best season, 2023, Ramos slashed .269/.322/.469 (120 wRC+) with 22 home runs and earned an All-Star nod. His numbers have declined since then. Ramos had a 106 wRC+ last year and has put up a league-average mark (100) in 306 trips to the plate this season. He is off to a .264/.304/.424 start with nine homers and below-average strikeout and walk rates of 26.8% and 5.2%, respectively. However, Ramos has continued to hold his own against lefties.
Ramos carries experience at all three outfield positions, but he is not an adept defender. He has accounted for minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved, Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value in over 3,100 innings in the majors. He could nonetheless platoon in the corners with Jones and/or Dominguez for the time being. The Yankees had been platooning Jones with the righty-hitting Max Schuemann in left since Bellinger’s injury, but they optioned Schuemann to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.
As is the case with Garcia, who is under control past this season, Ramos will not be a rental for the Yankees. He is due to reach arbitration for the first of three potential trips in the offseason, giving the Yankees control through 2029. In the meantime, Ramos is earning an ultra-affordable 810K this year.
The 63-49 Yankees are firmly in playoff position, whereas the wheels quickly came off for the Giants this year. At 47-65, they went into deadline as obvious sellers. President of baseball operations Buster Posey has also sent out second baseman Luis Arraez, lefty Robbie Ray and rightyTyler Mahlein other deals. Ramos has more team control than any of them, but Posey will get rid of him to further boost a farm system that Baseball America ranks as the 10th-best in the sport.
More to come…
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