If we’re to believe the latest trade rumors, the New York Yankees have talks on deck that will import from somewhere in between 3-6 players. That means spots will need to be cleared off the 26-man and 40-man rosters between now and the July 31 deadline.

As of right now, the Yankees can probably ditch three players off the active roster and it wouldn’t even make a difference, but that’s not how they roll. They will utilize every last inning out of the group they have until the official transactions to replace them arrive.

Will it be a massive deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks? The Pittsburgh Pirates? Is another seller lurking that we haven’t given enough attention? Either way, the house cleaning it right around the corner.

6 Yankees who will be off the 40-man roster by the trade deadlineBrent Headrick

The Yankees can “value” pitching depth all they want. And Headrick might be one of few lefties in the organization at the moment. Before going down with an injury that kept him out a month (he just returned), Headrick had a 4.11 ERA at Triple-A and a 4.73 ERA in the bigs. Even worse was his 1.57 WHIP with the RailRiders. The bottom line is that a player of this caliber cannot occupy a roster spot on a team hoping to make a World Series run. Find another lefty.

Braden Shewmake

Yankees fans have to assume this signing was made in the event injuries drastically affected the infield. Nobody took issue with the front office taking a flyer on Shewmake, a former 2019 first-round pick, but his rather unimpressive 46-game stint at Triple-A won’t help his case for sticking around much longer. The Yankees are looking to upgrade at third base, which will push Jorbit Vivas into an even lesser depth role, further making Shewmake’s presence less valuable or necessary.

Scott Effross

Absolutely no offense to Scott Effross, but time simply has to be up for the right-hander, who has been in New York since 2022 but has logged just 24 total games through July 20. He’s mostly utilized to absorb garbage innings, and he’s hardly suitable as one of the last guys in the bullpen. New York needs to overhaul its cast of relievers, and it simply has to begin with Effross, who had a 7.71 ERA at Triple-A before the Yankees recalled him to the majors (4.70 ERA in his first eight games this year).

It’s OK, Cashman, Hayden Wesneski, the man you traded for Effross, is out until 2026, so cutting ties with the reliever won’t have you regretting much in the short term. You’re safe.

JC Escarra

Since the beginning of July, Escarra has registered 12 at-bats. It’s clear the Yankees are phasing him out in favor of getting Ben Rice more reps, which is the smart move. Escarra was an amazing story and definitely served his role well, but the Yankees have a logjam problem right now, and Rice takes precedent. Additionally, Austin Wells needs to be on the field as much as possible.

Previous buzz suggested there would be plenty of interest in Escarra on the trade market, which is great news for all parties. If the Yankees can turn him into something to help out the pitching staff, then that’s a massive win. If Escarra can go somewhere else to receive more playing time, fans would surely love to see that. But right now he doesn’t exactly fit the puzzle in the Bronx.

Everson Pereira

Pereira hasn’t sniffed big league action since 2023. Right now, New York has an outfield logjam, so there’s no lane for playing time. Also, Spencer Jones has leapfrogged him on the totem pole, so if there was any outfield promotion from Triple-A, it’d be the Yankees’ top prospect.

Though Pereira isn’t the most impressive player, you can’t tell us there isn’t a market for him. He’s still only 24 years old and has belted 18 homers this year, logging a .258 average and .882 OPS in 63 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That said, there’s just no room for him on the 40-man roster if the Yankees plan to upgrade.

Oswald Peraza

Peraza has been destined to be DFA’d since the start of this season, assuming he did little with the playing time he was given. And that’s largely been the case, outside of his defensive contributions, which have been a breath of fresh air at third base (well, until his error on Monday night!). However, he’s been losing playing time to Vivas because of how bad his offense is (.147 average, .450 OPS, 26 OPS+ in 66 games).

All in all, the Yankees ruined Peraza with their preferential treatment of Anthony Volpe years ago. It is what it is. On the other hand, Peraza has also done himself zero favors and has only validated the Yankees’ decision to keep running Volpe out there every day. It seemed Peraza’s ceiling could’ve been a valuable infield utility option, especially after Oswaldo Cabrera went down, but instead he’s been one of the worst qualified MLB hitters to date. They will not find a trade partner here; it will be a clean DFA to welcome whoever it is that should be able to do far better.