What will the Yankees’ plan be until the deadline?

The competitive balance tax could affect the Yankees’ plans before the trade deadline, Ken Rosenthal reports in an article for The Athletic (subscription required).

Citing “sources familiar with what the team is thinking,” Rosenthal reported that the Yankees’ deadline negotiations could be affected by a desire to stay below the higher CBT threshold of $293 million. FanGraphs estimates that New York exceeds that limit by about $1.1 million.

While the Yankees are unlikely to become “salesmen,” the club can look to give up some salary to offset the cost of any acquisitions.

Rosenthal speculates that the club may attempt to trade some players on its roster who will be free agents after the season. Among them are Dominicans Luis Severino, Andy Peralta, Isiah Keener Valeva and Harrison Bader.

another chance? Transfer of Venezuelan Jeleber Torres (under contractual control of the club until 2024) and give the second primary task to Venezuelan Oswald Peraza.

As for the areas the Bronx Bombers could try to tackle in the trade, left field is expected to be the team’s top priority. New York is linked with Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, Rockies’ Randal Grichuk, and Dylan Carlson of the Cardinals.

Bellinger is the most expensive of the three, with a guaranteed one-year, $17.5 million contract with Chicago. Grichuk is in the final year of a five-year, $52 million deal, while Carlson’s first year of arbitration will be in 2024.