NEW YORK – The Yankees spent much of the lead-up to Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline searching for a right-handed-hitting outfielder. They landed one with less than an hour remaining, picking up Heliot Ramos from the Giants.
Then it was, as general manager Brian Cashman frequently says, “Pencils down.” The Yankees intended to do more, leaving catching and pitching unchecked from their shopping, and now must look toward their injured list for further help as they prepare to chase their October goals.
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Two prospects are headed to San Francisco in exchange for Ramos, who turns 27 on Sept. 7: left-hander Henry Lalane and infielder Kaeden Kent – the son of Hall of Famer Jeff Kent. Ramos spoke to reporters at Globe Life Field in Arlington, saying he was looking forward to the opportunity.
“If they traded for me, it’s because they want me, obviously,” Ramos said. “So I’m very proud. It’s the Yankees, at the end of the day. That’s an organization that, when you’re a kid and you’re Puerto Rican, everybody knows about it. Everybody wants it.”
The acquisition of Ramos follows Sunday’s move to import first baseman and designated hitter Luis García Jr. from the Nationals, aiming to bolster an offense that has struggled to score runs with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton all on the injured list.
“One of our first areas of need was to try to upgrade the offense in any way, shape or form while waiting for important players to come back off the IL,” Cashman said. “Ramos crushes left-handed pitching, García crushes right-handed pitching. … Aaron Boone has a better chance to match up than he did yesterday.”
Of the IL group, Stanton might be the closest – he took live at-bats on Monday and jogged in the Yankee Stadium outfield, testing his right calf. Bellinger isn’t likely to return until September from a left hamstring strain. Judge also seems to be pointing toward a September target as he awaits re-imaging on his fractured right rib.
“There’s a high likelihood and optimism that [Judge] fits that timeline, that time frame, for him to get back and join us,” Cashman said. “That’s what I’m hoping and holding on to. I know that’s what he believes, and I know that’s what the doctors believe. But it’s always a moving target.”
Ramos slashed .264/.304/.424 (104 OPS+) with 13 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 74 games for the Giants, making 67 appearances in left field and seven in right field.
A first-round selection (19th overall) in the 2017 MLB Draft, Ramos was a National League All-Star in 2024, when he slashed .269/.322/.469 (124 OPS+) with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs in 121 games. Earning $740,000 this year, Ramos will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.
“Who doesn’t love the Yankees?” Ramos said. “I’m very happy. I’m very proud. I can’t wait to hear from Judge and all those guys, the way they play, the way they are. It’s going to be fun, for sure.”
Lalane, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) this year, mostly with Single-A Tampa.
The 22-year-old Kent was enjoying a breakout year after struggling in his first taste of pro ball last season. In 76 games for High-A Hudson Valley, Kent slashed .302/.359/.433 with 20 doubles, six homers, 43 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He was a third-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft (103rd overall).
Cashman acknowledged the Yankees tried to do more. They engaged with the Tigers about Tarik Skubal but were unable to shake Detroit’s request of top prospect George Lombard Jr. – too rich, he said, considering Skubal is a pending free agent.
“It was a very specific ask, and a certain player we weren’t willing to play with in that arena on Tarik Skubal, despite how great of a pitcher he is,” Cashman said.
Last month, Cashman identified the club’s catching as “an issue, clearly.” It went unaddressed, with Austin Wells and Ali Sánchez remaining the club’s backstop tandem.
The Yankees engaged in “many conversations” with the Orioles concerning Adley Rutschman, according to Cashman. Rutschman went instead to the Red Sox for a five-player package that included former Yankee farmhand Carlos Narváez. Other targets, like the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers and the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson, stayed put.
“We were unable to meet the price, so they did their business elsewhere,” Cashman said of Baltimore. “We kept grinding through it, but ultimately at the end of the day, there was no opportunity that existed that we felt good enough to be able to push through on.”
New York subtracted from its bullpen ahead of the Deadline by shipping the underwhelming Camilo Doval to the Pirates for two prospects.
Their attempts to add an electric high-leverage arm like the Padres’ Mason Miller fell short. Now, Cashman said, the Yankees will look to the pending returns of Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt to bolster the back end.
Schmidt was set to toss a three-inning live BP on Monday at Yankee Stadium and seems to be building for a bullpen role. Rodón would plug into the rotation and move either Will Warren or Ryan Weathers to a relief role.
Warren was reported to be in trade talks with the Padres for lefty Adrian Morejon, but Cashman said no such discussion took place.
“There’s a lot of media reports; a lot of noise, always constantly flying around,” Cashman said. “Some are accurate. Some aren’t.”