Breaking: Yankees land $80 million versatile star

The University of Alabama is well-known for its football program. Over the years, NFL teams have drafted 432 Crimson Tide football players. However, the public may be unaware that the 205-year-old university has had an impact on Major League Baseball. Alabama has sent 312 players to the MLB, including 155 in the annual amateur draft, which has been held every year since 1965.

Only five Alabama players have ever been selected in the first round of the draft, the most recent occurring this year. In fact, right-handed pitcher Ben Hess became Alabama’s second-highest draft pick when the New York Yankees selected him 26th overall in the first round.

Now, according to a fresh trade suggestion that might enhance their infield following Gleyber Torres’ free agency departure to the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees may have already cut connections with West.

Trade Pitch Ships Top Draft Pick to Tampa Bay

Sporting News reporter Jackson Roberts proposed a deal that would send West to the Tampa Bay Rays alongside eight-year minor leaguer Jorbit Vivas, an infielder.

According to the Sporting News proposal, the Yankees would receive second-baseman Brandon Lowe, a versatile but frequently injured 30-year-old who has also played first base and both corner outfield positions for the Rays throughout his seven-year career, all of which was spent in Tampa Bay.

Lowe has two years remaining on his six-year, $24 million contract with the Rays, but according to sports business website SpoTrac, his open market value may reach $80 million in four years. However, Lowe’s current contract would only require the Yankees to pay him $10.5 million in 2025.

His contract includes a club option for 2026, which means the Yankees can cut his compensation after one season or keep him for $11.5 million. As a result, both teams would benefit financially from the transaction. The Rays, who had MLB’s third-lowest payroll in 2024, drop Lowe’s $10.5 million contract, while the Yankees find a cheap replacement for Torres.

A Healthy Lowe: Economical Torres Replacement

“Lowe has struggled to stay on the field over the last three seasons, but when he is healthy, he delivers at every opportunity. He has a.808 OPS/126 OPS+ since the beginning of the 2020 season, including a 39-homer season during his 2021 All-Star campaign,” wrote Roberts, adding that Hess would be “the ultimate Rays pitching lab project. Meanwhile, Vivas possesses a tremendous hitting tool and might contribute to Tampa Bay’s positional versatility.

According to an MLB.com scouting report, Hess was the best high school prospect in the state of Illinois in 2021. However, he turned down the interest of multiple MLB organizations at the time to pitch for the Crimson Tide. Despite injuries during his first two years at Alabama, the 6’5″, 255-pounder remained healthy for his final season and threw a fastball ranging from 92 to 96 mph, with a high speed of 99.

“He repeatedly has had health issues that included a stress fracture in his back in high school and a flexor strain in 2023,” according to the report. “He has the upside of a No. 2 starter but will need to throw more strikes to reach it.”

Rebuilding his control and returning to his 6-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio from his sophomore year at Alabama would undoubtedly be a primary goal of Tampa Bay’s pitching development department if the organization traded Lowe for him.