4 Yankees on the 40-man roster who won’t survive the 2024 season

The addition of Juan Soto to the Yankees’ outfield is understandably going to be the biggest transaction New York makes this offseason. It’s still imperative for GM Brian Cashman to continue to tweak and strengthen the roster all the way up until the Trade Deadline.

That means several of the current members of the organization’s 40-man roster will be trading in their pinstripes for other uniforms before the conclusion of next season. Some veterans could be dealt to add youth and roster flexibility to Aaron Boone’s options down the stretch. Several younger players may be bundled together to add more established talent to the locker room.

Yankees fans should keep a particularly close eye on the following four players as guys who could be jettisoned.

4. Ben Rortvedt won’t survive entire 2024 season on Yankees roster

The Yankees curiously have five catchers on their 40-man roster. It seems likely that Jose Trevino and Austin Wells will enter the regular season as the team’s primary tandem. That leaves Rortvedt on the outside looking in at Major League playing time.

The organization could elect to keep him around for depth, but it’s possible his Spring Training performance might be good enough to catch another team’s eye as a potential starter. If that happens, look for Cashman to work out a simple deal that would benefit the Yankees and Rortvedt.

He isn’t going to command any significant return in a trade, but the opening of an additional roster talent and perhaps a mid-level prospect or some additional international bonus pool money could be enough to catch the Yankees’ attention. One injury to Wells or Trevino could drastically alter Rortvedt’s status with the team but he’s a prime candidate to be moved before Opening Day.

3. Everson Pereira isn’t going to be on the Yankees roster the entire season

Pereira still has a lot of fans inside the Yankees’ front office but it’s fast approaching time for the talented outfielder to convert his potential into production. He looked overmatched during his late-season callup last season and that’s a bit of a warning sign at his age.

The 22-year-old could still turn things around with a strong Spring. He possesses impressive bat speed and athleticism. It’s not inconceivable that he could force his way into Boone’s outfield rotation ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the situation with Rortvedt, one meaningful injury ahead of him on the depth chart could force him into regular playing time.

Unlike Rortvedt, Pereira is still young enough to have meaningful value as a prospect on the trade market. He’s a fringe top-100 prospect which means the Yankees can consider making him a centerpiece in a deal for an established veteran. He isn’t good enough to bring back a star, but he could be used in a deal to fill a hole created by injury or underperformance.

The best case for the Yankees and Pereira is that he makes a leap in Spring Training and becomes a guy that Boone can count on as an outfield reserve who gets regular playing time off the bench. Anything short of that could see him leveraged as an important trade chip. He’s one to watch closely when Spring Training begins.

2. Oswald Peraza will spend some time in the Yankees minor-league system

Peraza entered last year’s Spring Training as the odds-on favorite to win the starting shortstop job on Opening Day. Instead, Anthony Volpe beat him out and Peraza’s season never really got going at the Major League level.

Plenty of scouts still believe that Peraza should be deployed as the team’s starting shortstop while Volpe would be better at second. Gleyber Torres’ presence on the current roster makes that move impractical.

The most likely outcome for Peraza in 2024 is that he breaks camp with the Major League team and gets lot of at-bats backing up every infield position other than first base. That kind of super sub role should be enough to accelerate his development while giving the Yankees a better idea of the player he can become at the big league level.

Any hiccup in Peraza’s development or ability to secure regular Major League playing time should immediately convert him into a big-time trade chip for Cashman and his front office. He is the sort of prospect who could bring back a difference-maker in a Trade Deadline deal. Peraza will get plenty of playing time for someone next year. It just might not be for the Yankees.

1. Gleyber Torres is a trade candidate for the Yankees

Torres was arguably the Yankees most consistent player last year, but that doesn’t change the financial reality that he’ll be looking for a massive new contract very soon. The new deal he wants might not fit within the team’s relatively new salary structure.

It’s easy to envision a scenario where the organization has to choose between a big deal for Torres or a mega extension for new arrival Juan Soto. With all due respect to Torres that might be an easy choice that doesn’t go in his favor.

If Cashman does start to believe he can’t, or won’t be willing to re-sign Torres then it becomes prudent to explore his value on the trade market. Middle infielders who who hit for the sort of power Torres’ do are always of interest to contending teams. His defensive and focus issues might give some GMs pause, but it only takes one to pull the trigger on a big deal with the Yankees for his services.

The odds still slightly favor Torres staying with the Yankees through next season, but a lot of things could change that calculus ahead of the Trade Deadline. If he hits the open market during the season he might be the most talented player that any contender can acquire. The Yankees aren’t typicall in-season sellers but Torres could prove to be the exception this summer.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as 4 Yankees on the 40-man roster who won’t survive the 2024 season.