The Yankees have a shortstop problem. That much is undeniable.
What they do not have is a George Lombard Jr. problem.
That distinction matters as trade speculation begins connecting the Yankees to Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. One proposal suggests there is a “pathway” to a deal if the Yankees construct a package involving Anthony Volpe AND Lombard.
That pathway should be barricaded immediately.
Abrams is an outstanding player having a spectacular season. Through July 27, he is batting .297 with a .367 on-base percentage, a .573 slugging percentage and a .940 OPS. He has 27 home runs, 82 RBIs and 114 hits. Among National League players, he ranks first in slugging, third in OPS and first in RBIs.
Those numbers are precisely why Washington would demand a staggering return.
The Nationals are not holding a clearance sale. Reports indicate that they are willing to listen, but they are not actively shopping Abrams. In a painfully thin shortstop market, Washington has every reason to demand an enormous overpayment for a 25-year-old All-Star performing like one of baseball’s premier offensive players.
That is where this proposal falls apart. Abrams is excellent, but the proposed price is ridiculous. The argument against trading for Abrams is not that he cannot play. He clearly can.
The argument is that the Yankees should not use their best opportunity to solve shortstop for the next decade as payment for someone else’s shortstop.
Lombard is only 21 years old, has already reached Triple-A and remains the most important position-player prospect in the Yankees’ system. He returned from the injured list in July and immediately collected nine hits in his first 17 at-bats, including four extra-base hits. Lombard has put himself into the major-league conversation.
That is not the type of prospect a smart organization includes merely because another team has made its asking price absurd.
Lombard is not an expendable lottery ticket buried in Class A. He is already knocking on the door. He possesses the athleticism, defensive ability, plate discipline and developing power to become the dynamic shortstop the Yankees have spent years trying to find. He's better than Volpe. The Yankees drafted him, developed him and moved him aggressively through their system. Now that he is approaching the majors, they are supposed to hand him away?
No.
Lombard should be considered off-limits. And the difference is the Volpe experiment has run its course. Volpe is a different conversation.
The Yankees have given him considerable time, patience and protection. At some point, potential must turn into sustained major-league production. New York cannot continue treating its shortstop position as a development laboratory while attempting to win a championship.
Volpe returned from shoulder surgery in 2026, but the organization’s public discussion has already shifted. José Caballero has entered the picture; Lombard is approaching the majors and questions regarding Volpe’s long-term grip on the position have become impossible to ignore.
There is nothing wrong with including Volpe in trade discussions. A change of organizations might benefit him, and the Yankees need to stop allowing draft status, popularity or past expectations to dictate their current decisions.
Volpe can go.
Lombard cannot.
Packaging the two together would be especially foolish. Volpe would be included as a distressed major-league asset while Lombard supplied the actual value Washington desired. The Yankees would essentially surrender their future shortstop to compensate for their present shortstop’s failure to establish himself.
That is backwards roster construction. The bottom line is the Yankees need to be smart. The proper solution is not to trade Lombard for a different long-term shortstop. It is to find someone capable of stabilizing the position for the remainder of 2026 without blocking Lombard in 2027 and beyond.
The Yankees need a rental.
That player does not have to be better than Abrams in a vacuum. Few available shortstops are. He needs to be a better acquisition for the Yankees because he would provide competent shortstop play without costing the organization its future.
Now look, the rental market is admittedly thin. MLB has described Abrams as the clear top shortstop potentially available because players such as Jeremy Peña, Zach Neto and Francisco Lindor are even less likely to be moved.
A thin market, however, is not permission to make a reckless trade. For me, the best answer is in the organization. There is also a possibility Yankees management appears reluctant to acknowledge:
Lombard himself might be the best shortstop option.
Bottom line, we need to move Volpe. Acquire a rental. Use Caballero if necessary. Promote Lombard when he is ready which is soon.
But under no circumstances should Brian Cashman trade George Lombard Jr. to solve a position Lombard is being developed to occupy.
The Yankees need a new shortstop now.
They should not sacrifice their next great one to get him.
