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New York Yankees' manager Aaron Boone should prioritize two areas at the MLB trade deadline

The New York Yankees rallied for a 10-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

The Yankees are 2-0 over the White Sox in this series.

They have one final clash remaining, scheduled for Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

In the midst of the series, more trade speculations are rising to the surface.

Yankees Urged To Bolster Bullpen

According to baseball analyst Jim Bowden of The Athletic, New York should prioritize two key areas at the trade deadline — their bullpen and a right-handed-hitting catcher.

To address the bullpen, Bowden suggests utilizing their own farm system.

“The Yankees’ bullpen has been great this year, but that’s an area they’re still going to try to improve on,” Bowden wrote. “One potential upgrade could come from their own farm system with Carlos Lagrange and his 100-mph fastball.”

Lagrange, 23, has been playing down in Triple-A for his 2026 season.

So far, he owns an ERA of 4.14 with 78 strikeouts across 58.2 innings pitched through 14 games, 11 of which he started.

New York’s bullpen has shown flashes of inconsistency this year, and general manager Brian Cashman will likely be seeking out some upgrades to bolster his roster.

Yankees Need Right-Handed Catcher

GettyThe New York Yankees should consider trading for Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles

As Bowden further noted, “They also have been searching for a right-handed hitting catcher, with the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers being a name that’s been bandied about. They’d love to be able to find a way to trade for Adley Rutschman of the Orioles, but a blockbuster like that is unlikely. Other possibilities include Keibert Ruiz of the Nationals and Agustín Ramírez of the Marlins.”

Of course, the headlining name here is Rutschman, 28, of the Baltimore Orioles.

With a slash line of .259/.335/.467 and an .802 OPS with eight homers through 53 games, attempting to bring Rutschman to New York is tempting.

However, as Bowden mentioned, such a drastic blockbuster move shouldn’t be anticipated.

Fortunately, the Yankees have a few other possibilities worth chasing after.

Snapshot of the Yankees’ Season

GettyBen Rice has been stepping up on offense for the New York Yankees

New York has one more matchup against Chicago at Yankee Stadium.

Once the series wraps up on Thursday night, the Yankees will host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game homestand.

The matchup will commence on Friday, June 19, at 7:05 p.m. ET.

At the time of this writing, New York is ranked first in the American League West.

They now have a record of 45-27 overall after their latest victory.

As for the Reds, they’re much further down in the MLB standings and in their division.

Their overall record of 35-38 places them last in the National League Central.

Ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the Yankees are in a balancing act of navigating their schedule while looking ahead to potential targets.

Considering the number of obstacles the ballclub has faced this year, they are faring quite well.

Having been knocked down by injuries, their younger stars have started to prove themselves on offense.

That driving energy must continue into their upcoming sets if they want to remain atop the AL East standings.

Clinching one final win over Chicago and defeating the Reds this weekend will be the first step in doing so.