Mind-Blowing Yankees Trade Revelations

The competition between the Yankees and Rays in the past five years has intensified, and unlike their interactions with other rivals such as the Red Sox and Mets, the Yankees rarely engage in trades with the Tampa Bay outfit. In the 25-year history of the Rays, the two teams have only completed seven trades, most involving player-for-cash exchanges.

In terms of noteworthy trades, two blockbuster deals stand out. On December 29, 2020, the Rays traded Blake Snell to the Yankees for Deivi García, Clarke Schmidt, Anthony Seigler, and Kyle Higashioka. Another significant trade occurred on December 16, 2023, involving the Yankees acquiring Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot from the Rays in exchange for Chase Hampton and Everson Pereira. These hypothetical trades reflect the ongoing dynamic between the Yankees’ pursuit of quality starting pitchers and the Rays’ strategy of trading top pitchers before their contracts become costly.

However, in reality, both Snell and Glasnow were traded by the Rays to other teams—the Padres and Dodgers, respectively—away from the Yankees. The worst trade scenario highlighted the Yankees sending Mike Ford to the Rays in June 2021, although Ford’s performance with the Rays was subpar. What made it the worst trade was the Yankees’ subsequent use of Ford’s roster spot to add Zack Britton, who struggled with injuries and poor performance.

The most overlooked trade involved the Yankees acquiring Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks in 2018, and although Drury’s time with the Yankees was unremarkable, he played a crucial role in a subsequent trade that brought J.A. Happ to the Yankees. Happ initially performed well but struggled later on, leading to a regrettable contract extension.

A peculiar trade in April 2022 saw the Rays trading David McKay to the Yankees for cash considerations. However, in June 2022, McKay was traded back to the Rays by the Yankees for cash considerations, marking an unusual sequence of transactions. McKay’s history of being traded for a minimal amount, including a trade from the Royals for $1 in 2018, adds an interesting trivia aspect to his career.