Could the New York Yankees actually swing this mammoth trade?
Right now, the primary focus for the New York Yankees seems to be re-signing Cody Bellinger, but is it possible the Yankees could have other plans for their outfield?
Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay thinks they should, at the very least, urging New York to pursue a trade for San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.
The Padres are apparently exploring a potential sale of the franchise, so it would make sense to want to unload players like Tatis and Manny Machado in order to clear some payroll.
Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with San Diego in 2021, a deal that takes him all the way through 2034 on a very reasonable average annual value ($24.3 million).
For that reason, the cost to acquire the 26-year-old would be exorbitant, but the Yankees absolutely have the pieces to potentially get a deal done.
Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones and top prospect George Lombard Jr. could all be had from a position player perspective, and New York is also loaded with arms in its farm system. Some combination of the Yanks' top young bats and pitchers could be enticing to the Padres.
Tatis slashed .268/.368/.446 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI over 691 plate appearances in 2025, so he wasn't overly impressive at the dish. However, he earned his second Platinum Glove award after registering a plus-15 DRS and plus-9 OAA in right field, which helped him post a 6.1 WAR.
It's worth noting that Tatis was suspended for 80 games in 2022 due to testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He smashed 42 homers while posting a .975 OPS in 2021 and hasn't come close to that sort of offensive production since.
But it's not like Tatis has been bad at the plate, posting OPSes of .870 and .814 the last two seasons. Plus, he is so good defensively that it masks his dip as a hitter.
Now, here's the kicker: the Yankees already have Aaron Judge in right field. That means Tatis — who actually came up as a shortstop — would have to play left field in New York. Chances are, he would be just fine manning the position, but the fact that he wouldn't be playing where he has won a pair of Platinum Gloves could decrease his value.
As far as Tatis replacing Anthony Volpe at shortstop? I know Yankees fans are probably dreaming of this, but it isn't going to happen. Tatis had his fair share of struggles while playing shortstop for three seasons in San Diego, and while he has always wanted to move back there, a massive part of what makes him so valuable is how good of an outfielder he is.
I guess there exists a world in which the Yankees could retain Bellinger, trade for Tatis and have him play shortstop, but more than likely, New York wouldn't want to swing that financially.
If the Yanks do make a push for Tatis, it would almost certainly to have him play left field and then eventually move him back to right once Judge likely becomes a full-time designated hitter down the line.
The Padres haven't shown any indication that Tatis is readily available, but the idea of Tatis in pinstripes is certainly fun to think about.