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The New York Yankees made it a clear focus to upgrade their infield, bullpen and bench at this year’s trade deadline.
One player the team acquired was José Caballero of the Tampa Bay Rays. Caballero is 28 years old and has played 85 games this season. He is a versatile defender with the bulk of his starts coming at shortstop this season.
Anthony Volpe has been the Yankees’ shortstop this season, but his defensive struggles have been a huge talking point. He leads MLB in errors, but Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone have continued to defend him, likely because the Yankees were limited in their options.
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However, Caballero could put pressure on Volpe to perform and could even take some playing time away from him. However, Cashman’s comments after the trade made it clear that Volpe’s job is safe.
“Cashman said the addition of Caballero did not have anything to do with Volpe’s recent defensive struggles,” relayed the New York Post’s Greg Joyce on X. “Wanted to give Boone speed off the bench, defensive versatility, etc. Plus Caballero has minor league options.”
The Yankees also acquired Amed Rosario, who is also a versatile defender. The Yankees traded for two players who could now replace Volpe if his struggles continue. Perhaps, both are in play to take Volpe’s job and Cashman is simply not saying it, but there is even less reason to stick by Volpe now if he cannot fix things.
Caballero is slashing .226/.328/.312 this season. However, he leads baseball in stolen bases. He led the American League in stolen bases last year.
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