The Yankees already added one big bat in Luis Garcia Jr., but the Bronx Bombers are also looking at an outfield upgrade. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Yankees have had scouts watching Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, who is also on the Phillies’ radar as per previous reports.
Ramos (who turns 27 in September) is under team control through 2029, so there’s no immediate reason for the Giants to trade him unless another club steps up with a strong offer. On the flip side, the Giants might prefer to sell high on an outfielder who hasn’t since matched the highs of his first full MLB season.
A top-100 prospect during his time in San Francisco’s farm system, Ramos seemed to break out in 2024, when he hit .269/.322/.469 with 22 home runs over 518 plate appearances. Ramos even made the All-Star team that year, but slumped in the second half and to some extent has yet to really get back on track. That 120 wRC+ in 2024 was followed by a 106 wRC+ in 2025, and Ramos has an exactly average 100 wRC+ over 306 PA this season, while batting .264/.304/.424 with nine home runs.
That 100 wRC+ comes with the benefit of a .338 BABIP, as Ramos has even gotten some good luck on his 54.4% grounder rate. All of these groundballs have mitigated Ramos’ hard contact numbers, and his already subpar strikeout and walk rates have sunk even further to a 26.8K% and 5.3BB% this year. After Ramos looked out of place as a center fielder in 2024, he didn’t do much better as a left fielder last season but he has improved to roughly average glovework (0 Defensive Runs Saved, -2 Outs Above Average) in 557 1/3 innings in left this year.
Perhaps the key number from the Yankees’ perspective is Ramos’ .302/.353/.508 slash line against left-handed pitching this season, and the .851 OPS that Ramos has posted against southpaws over his career. New York is looking for offensive help of any kind, but is particularly looking for a right-handed bat to help balance out a lineup that is even more tilted to the left after the Garcia trade.
Installing Ramos as even a platoon bat in left field would help the Yankees patch a hole in their injury-riddled outfield. Cody Bellinger will be out until at least late August due to a hamstring strain, and Aaron Judge hasn’t played since May 31 due to a left rib fracture. Judge’s return date is still up in the air since the slugger has yet to get clearance to resume baseball activities, so getting Judge back before the end of August looks like the best-case scenario for the Yankees.
Beyond 2026, New York is likely to move on from Trent Grisham at season’s end, but Judge and Bellinger will be occupying everyday outfield roles. In the event of a Ramos trade, Ramos would then be competing with Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones for what would basically be one spot in the outfield. It could be that Dominguez or Jones is dealt elsewhere to address another need, but given the number of longer-term outfield options already on hand, the Yankees might prefer more of a rental outfielder rather than meet what would likely be a significant asking price for a player with Ramos’ control.
