Yankees acquire INF Amed Rosario from Washington

The New York Yankees made another trade late Saturday when they acquired utility infielder Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. Per Jack Curry of the YES Network, New York will send righty reliever Clayton Beeter and 18-year-old outfield prospect Browm Martinez to DC.

Rosario, 29, has hit .270 with a 105 wRC+ in 47 games this season. He has hit lefties particularly well, batting .299 with an .816 OPS against southpaws. Rosario also isn’t prone to striking out, so all the better on a Yankees team that needs a right-handed bat in wake of Aaron Judge’s upcoming IL stint with an elbow strain.

The Yankees will be Rosario’s seventh team in nine seasons. He came up with the Mets and debuted in 2017. Four years later, he was shipped to Cleveland as part of the blockbuster Francisco Lindor trade. Two years later, in another Mets coincidence, the Guardians traded him to the Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard.

As to who the Yankees sent to Washington, Beeter is best known as the sole return in the Joey Gallo trade back in 2022. He developed into a hard-throwing arm in New York’s farm system and made his debut last season. Beeter turns 27 in October and has a 9.82 ERA in five MLB appearances.

Meanwhile, Yankees fans should expect Amed Rosario to, for the most part, play third base against lefties in a platoon with Ryan McMahon. The downside here is his glove is a net negative at every position. At the hot corner, Rosario has -6 defensive runs saved (DRS) and a -5 fielding run value (FRV). Clearly, general manager Brian Cashman thinks him putting the ball in play is worth the trade.

Furthermore, this also likely spells the end of Oswald Peraza’s time in the Bronx. The former top prospect has struggled to find his swing as a pro, batting .190 since debuting in 2022. The Yankees have given him plenty of opportunity, and have probably seen enough.

As great an add as Rosario is, fans should temper their expectations. He’s very much a singles and doubles hitter with little power. He has never hit more than 11 home runs in a season. He won’t strike out a ton, nor will he draw a ton of walks. Amed Rosario puts the ball in play, plain and simple.

It’s just that when it comes to actual production, fans should expect maybe a slightly better version of Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Although, to be fair, Rosario has reached double digits in home runs three times in his career. His career best came in 2019’s juiced ball season, when he mashed 15 for the Mets.

Don’t expect the Amed Rosario trade to be the Yankees’ last ahead of Thursday’s deadline either. The team still needs bullpen help, and could definitely use another starter. Otherwise, it’s playing the waiting game until Luis Gil comes back from his shoulder rehab in August.