New York Yankees are reportedly set to land another excellent pitcher
It is an understatement to say that the New York Yankees are doing well as we hit the meat of the MLB season in late June. They have a strong starting rotation with an ERA of 2.76, which is second in the MLB, and ace Gerrit Cole is returning from an arm ailment that has kept him out since March. The bullpen is one area where the team might look for improvement, but even the relievers have a collective ERA of 2.86 (second in MLB) and a WHIP of 1.14 (third).
They are also deep in the lineup, with a combined OPS of.768, the most in baseball, and 93 home runs (second).
Still, there is a weakness in the lineup, and recent speculation suggests that the Yankees may seek a makeover on the right side of the infield, where Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres have underperformed. First basemen are easier to find—if the Yankees do look to replace Rizzo—but second base is a bit more difficult.
However, there is a guy out there who might easily slot in as a Torres replacement and is working for a team that appears to be a certain seller when the trade deadline arrives in eight weeks: Luis Rengifo of the Angels.
Borna Nazari, a Bleacher Report MLB podcaster, said on Friday, “What about Luis Rengifo?” He’s playing like an All-Star. He comes with club control till the end of 2025.
Gleyber Torres Replaced by Luis Rengifo = ‘Perfect’?
Rengifo is 27 and in his seventh season with the Angels. He’s having by far his best year, with a slash line of .327/.374/.469, and while there has to be some concern about him regressing to the mean, Rengifo has been a solid hitter for the past two seasons, hitting .264 in both years, with 17 homers in 2022 and 16 in 2023.
He would certainly give the Yankees an alternative to Torres.
“What the Angels can do is they can have Rengifo go to the Yankees, if they like that move,” Nazari said on a B/R livestream. “That would be a really good fit for the Yankees. Where would Rengifo play? … Are you sick and tired of Gleyber Torres? Do you think the Gleyber Torres experience in New York is over? Because I will tell you this, Torres is hitting .238 with an OPS of .650. Rengifo is damn-near perfect slotting in where Gleyber is playing on the Yankees.”
Adding Rengifo to a lineup that is already pummeling MLB pitching would only move the Yankees that much farther up the food chain.
“Look at this Yankees offense, it’s loaded. Outside of Gleyber Torres, you slot in Rengifo there, it’s big-time,” Nazari said.
