Miguel Andujar

Miguel Andujar’s journey from American League Rookie of the Year runner-up to organizational depth in the Bronx has been well-chronicled by now, and the it’s long seemed possible he could find himself with a clean slate and fresh opportunity before next Tuesday’s trade deadline. Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes in his latest notes column that the Yankees are “trying to deal” Andujar, who first requested a trade in early June.

Still just 27 years old, Andujar finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting with a .297/.328/.527 batting line and 27 home runs back in 2018. A shoulder injury ruined his 2019 season, however, and a series of other Yankees acquisitions and/or breakouts (e.g. DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela, Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo) have combined to limit Andujar’s opportunities in the Majors since that time. He’s worked to improve his defensive versatility, learning left field and first base in addition to his customary slot at the hot corner, but it still hasn’t resulted in much in the way of big league playing time.

Since returning from that 2019 shoulder surgery, Andujar has received just 279 plate appearances with the Yankees. In the team’s defense, he hasn’t hit well at all in that time, slashing just .249/.280/.358. Then again, the playing time has been sporadic, with Andujar always keenly aware that he could be optioned at any time. The Yankees have optioned Andujar to Triple-A Scranton a whopping nine times since Opening Day 2020, and even during his stints with the big league club, he hasn’t been a regular in the lineup.

There’s no denying that Andujar hasn’t forced the team’s hand, and with stronger big league production he’d likely have found his way back into the fold. We often hear about hitters struggling through inconsistent usage, though, and at least based on his Triple-A output, there’s a case to be made that Andujar’s big league struggles can be at least partially attributed to his lack of a role. The competition in Triple-A is obviously far weaker, but Andujar has nonetheless slashed .304/.355/.516 with 15 home runs, 13 doubles, five stolen bases (in five tries) and just an 11.4% strikeout rate through his past 299 Triple-A plate appearances (2020-21). Despite that production, the Yankees have given him 52 big league plate appearances this season.

Trading Andujar is something of a tricky notion for a few reasons. The Yankees clearly value him as a depth option and don’t simply want to give him away for nothing of value in return. At the same time, his stock isn’t exactly at a high point, given the lack of recent MLB production. A contending club isn’t likely to surrender a prospect pf any note and plug Andujar right into the lineup at third base as they push for a postseason berth. Similarly, a club in the midst of a pure rebuild (the Nationals, for instance) may not relish the idea of surrendering long-term value in order to acquire a player who’s only controlled another two years beyond the current season.

Regardless of the specific fit, a deal involving Andujar seems likely to come together either in the next few days or over the winter. He’s in his final minor league option season, meaning the Yankees will need to carry him on the Major League roster next year or else place him on waivers before being sent down to Triple-A, and he’d surely be claimed by another club at that point. The Andujar dilemma has been ongoing in the Bronx for what seems like forever, but perhaps it’s finally headed toward a resolution.

Miguel Andujar told Yankees manager Aaron Boone yesterday that he wishes to be traded, Z101 Digital’s Hector Gomez reports (Twitter link).  Andujar was optioned to Triple-A after last night’s game, as the Yankees needed to open a roster spot for Giancarlo Stanton’s activation from the 10-day injured list today.

As per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, this isn’t the first time Andujar has asked to be dealt, as the infielder/outfielder has gone from future cornerstone to a seeming afterthought on New York’s roster.  After finishing second in AL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2018, Andujar has played in only 90 Major League games since the start of the 2019 season.  Injuries have been a factor in this lack of playing time, as Andujar missed most of the 2019 season due to shoulder surgery and also missed a notable chunk of the 2021 campaign due to wrist problems.

With Andujar missing so much time, the Yankees simply moved on to other players — most notably Gio Urshela, who enjoyed a big breakout season when replacing Andujar at third base in 2019.  Andujar wasn’t necessarily seen as a long-term defensive fit at third base anyway, but a shift to mostly outfield and first base work over the last couple of the years also hasn’t created a clearer path to a regular lineup spot.

When not on the IL, Andujar has been shuttled back and forth from Triple-A and the majors.  He is still consistently producing at the Triple-A level, which could give other teams some indication that the 27-year-old Andujar can bounce back in a new environment and with steadier playing time at the big league level.  It isn’t surprising that Andujar has become frustrated over his situation, but between his injuries and his .234/.260/.329 slash line over 319 PA from 2019-22, Andujar’s trade value isn’t exactly high.

Andujar has been mentioned in trade rumors in the past for a few years now, and Newsday’s Erik Boland reported just last March that the Yankees were again shopping Andujar to other teams.  While Yankees GM Brian Cashman was undoubtedly not open to buy-low offers in 2019 or 2020, however, Andujar’s stock simply hasn’t rebounded to the point where New York could still score a big return in a deal.

It’s possible Cashman could look to move Andujar for another post-hype prospect type or reclamation project, or perhaps include Andujar as part of a larger trade package.  Of course, the Yankees are also under no obligation to actually trade Andujar, as he is under team control through the 2024 season.  Andujar is earning $1.3MM in 2022, in his first year of arbitration eligibility.