When the New York Yankees agreed to a trade with the San Francisco Giants on April 27th that sent outfielder Mike Tauchman out west for a player to be named later and Wandy Peralta, a lot of eyebrows were raised.
Both players were off to slow starts in 2021, but in a pre-Gallo era with Hicks already out for the season and Giancarlo Stanton playing primarily as a designated hitter, the outfield as a whole was viewed as an even weaker position than it currently is. Meanwhile, the bullpen was on the other side of the spectrum, mostly considered as a point of strength for the ball club.