NEW YORK — The Yankees returned from Chicago with a win that looked familiar and a lineup problem that did not disappear. Jose Caballero’s two-run homer in the third inning supplied all of the offense Sunday in a 2-1 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Gerrit Cole earned the win with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Colin Rea took the loss, and David Bednar recorded a four-out save after the bullpen protected another narrow lead.
The result completed a 6-4 road trip and moved the Yankees to 63-49, 2.5 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East. New York’s starters allowed three total runs across the final six games of the trip. That run kept the postseason race steady while the lineup scored exactly two runs in each game at Wrigley Field and continued to lean on pitching for almost every margin.
That contrast has shaped the Yankees’ final hours before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline. The club completed its deal for left-handed slugger Luis Garcia Jr., sending four pitchers to Washington. But one addition did not fully address a lineup missing its two established corner outfielders. The Yankees still need balance against left-handed pitching, and Aaron Boone has few proven right-handed outfield choices in the clubhouse.
The harder question is not whether the Yankees want another bat. It is what type of player they are willing to buy. A rental could cover the immediate injury gap without disturbing the future roster. A younger, controllable player would cost more and could force decisions involving rookie outfielders Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez long after Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger return. That choice may define the Yankees’ last deadline move.
A controllable right-handed fit emerges
The Yankees have maintained interest in San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos. San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusserwith reported that scouts from the Bronx were tracking him for more than two weeks as the deadline approached. Philadelphia has also evaluated the 26-year-old right-handed hitter, creating competition for one of the limited controllable outfield bats believed to be available.
Ramos is not an expiring-contract target. He remains under club control through the 2029 season, giving the Giants little reason to move him without a substantial return. San Francisco entered Monday at 47-65 and 12 games out of a National League wild-card place. The Giants have begun selling, including a trade that sent starter Tyler Mahle to Atlanta, but Ramos could still fit their next competitive roster.
Ramos entered deadline day batting .264 with a .304 on-base percentage and a .424 slugging percentage in 306 plate appearances. He had nine home runs, 34 RBIs and a league-average 100 wRC+. His 26.8% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate show the risk that comes with the power.
The fit becomes clearer against left-handed pitching. Ramos had a .302/.353/.508 line against lefties this season and owns an .851 career OPS in those matchups. MLB Statcast data also shows a 91.8 mph average exit velocity, a 48% hard-hit rate and a 13.9% barrel rate. His 54.4% ground-ball rate has limited the damage.
Boone leaves room for another move
Boone has avoided treating every deadline connection as evidence that a trade is close. He was responding Sunday to the volume of names linked to the Yankees and the uncertainty facing clubs trying to match needs with asking prices.
“You never know how these things are going to shake out. You just know that obviously the organizations are all knee-deep in this stuff right now and trying to find matches where you can,” Boone said.
The clubs have recent deadline history. New York acquired Camilo Doval from San Francisco in 2025, then traded the reliever to Pittsburgh on Saturday after he fell out of the Yankees’ high-leverage bullpen plans.
Ramos would solve one problem and create another
The immediate need is clear. Judge has not played since May 31 because of a stress fracture in his right first rib. He completed another running session Sunday, but the Yankees had not scheduled the imaging that will determine when he can resume baseball activities. Bellinger has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and remains on a four-to-six-week recovery timetable after going on the injured list July 26.
That has left the Yankees using Trent Grisham, Jones, Dominguez and Max Schuemann in the outfield. Grisham and Jones bat left-handed. Dominguez is a switch hitter, while Schuemann lacks Ramos’ power and track record. Garcia also bats left-handed and is expected to work mainly at first base or designated hitter.
Ramos could start in left field against lefties and remain under control beyond this season. His defense has improved to roughly average there, with zero defensive runs saved and minus-2 outs above average in 557 1/3 innings.
The cost is the unresolved part. The Giants can hold Ramos if no club meets their price. The Yankees must decide whether an injury-driven need justifies surrendering prospects for four pennant races of control. Adding him would also tighten the future competition among Ramos, Jones and Dominguez once the Yankees’ injured outfielders return.
Deadline decision carries beyond August
The Yankees open a home series against St. Louis at Yankee Stadium one hour after the deadline. Their pitching staff has kept them in the postseason race, but the offensive margin remains thin.
As of Monday morning, the Yankees had completed the Garcia trade but had not acquired Ramos. Their interest remained active, and San Francisco still held the leverage created by his age, production against left-handed pitching and control through 2029. The final choice will show whether the Yankees view their shortage as a temporary August problem or an outfield question worth paying to answer for several seasons.
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