The 2021 MLB season is just a few days old, but the New York Yankees have already made a significant move on the trade market.
According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the Yankees are finalizing a deal to acquire second baseman Rougned Odor from the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old had not made the Rangers Opening Day roster or played in the team’s first four games.
After bursting onto the scene in 2016, when he hit .271, with 33 home-runs and 88 RBI, Odor has struggled to find his way on base. In 2019, his last full season, the Venezuelan native tallied a league-leading 178 strikeouts, while hitting just .205 with a .283 on-base percentage. In 38 games in 2020, he led the Rangers with 30 RBI, but hit only .167 with 47 strikeouts in 138 at-bats.
Despite hitting over 30 home-runs in three of the last five years, it looks like Odor’s best days might already be behind him.
Texas is expected to absorb almost the entirety of the $27 million owed to Rougned Odor, who’s on his way to the Yankees, per sources. He’s due $12 million this year, $12 million next year and a $3 million buyout on a $13 million club option in 2023.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 6, 2021
Odor will have a tough time slotting into the Yankees starting lineup, given the organization’s depth in the infield. DJ LeMahieu holds the second baseman’s normal position and a talented cast of Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela and Jay Bruce round out the group.
It’s possible that Odor will be able to provide depth to the Yankees, who clearly have World Series hopes in 2020. However, the 27-year-old is a risky pick-up this early in the year.
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