Last night, the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Hi-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, were trailing 12-6 to the Wilmington Blue Rocks after six innings. Before the seventh inning could commence, two notable players were substituted out.

Outfielder Jasson Dominguez, the third-ranked prospect in the Yankees’ system, and shortstop Trey Sweeney, the sixth-ranked prospect in said system, were yanked out despite plenty of production from both, with Sweeney, in particular, just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

Now, the Yankees could have pulled them simultaneously to spare them extra wear and tear in what was, and ended up still being, a blowout loss.

No one else in the Renegades lineup that night even registers as a Top 30 prospect in the Yankees’ system, so it would be fair to suspect that the club wants to just take it easy on them.

Ah, but the Yankees also late-scratched 25th-ranked prospect, catcher Josh Breaux, from his scheduled start for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre last night.

Three curious moves involving their own top prospects on the same day, across two levels. Quite suspicious for any prospect sleuths out there.

Still, the Yankees could just be taking it easy on their best and brightest.

But there’s also the looming trade deadline on August 2, and the glaring need for the Yankees, baseball’s best team by record entering play today, to make a move that improves their odds for a long-awaited return to the World Series.

The Yankees have filled the rumor mill for weeks now, but the fervor has only gone nuclear since Juan Soto was made available by the Nationals just prior to the All-Star break, and since Yankees All-Star and MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge started dropping hints that this may in fact be his swan song in the Bronx.

Compound those items of note with the fact that the Yankees just lost a valuable bullpen piece in Michael King for the remainder of the season, and, of course, the team’s season-long struggle to carry a lead against arch nemesis, Houston, and Yankees fans could be forgiven for low-key tapping the panic button like it’s hidden under the desk.

So does the simultaneous pulling of their two top prospects and the late scratching of another mean that a deal is imminent?

Could very well be.

The Yankees are reportedly in on every major trade candidate – Soto, Luis Castillo of the Reds, Andrew Benintendi of the Royals, and virtually every middle-inning reliever on the market, such as Jorge Lopez (Orioles), Scott Barlow (Royals), former Yankees reliever David Robertson and Mychal Givens (Cubs), and Michael Fulmer (Tigers), among many more.

Minor League Baseball does not play games on Mondays, so preserving the health of their top prospects for an additional few innings may have suddenly become an important element to ongoing negotiations.

Another thing holding up potential trades at the moment is the imminent deadline set for midnight ET tonight on negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA for an international draft deal.

A big reason that impact trades have not been made thus far could very well be related to the impending deadline, which will decide one way or another how teams spend money on international talent.

It will also decide how teams go about acquiring impending free agents, since the creation of an international draft in place of the current system carries with it the potential elimination of the qualifying offer system, which ties draft pick compensation directly to certain major free agents.

This last vestige of this year’s otherwise-settled CBA talks will have direct implications for many players currently on the market, as well as for teams tempted to empty the farm for a player such as Soto, who Washington is expecting to net “4 to 5 top young players” with low service time to even begin discussions with other teams.

Until that detail is settled, and teams will likely know well before the midnight ET deadline if a deal will be reached or not, it would be wise to expect any major moves to continue to be elusive.

That said, many deals could already be agreed to in principle.

What does that trio of prospects net the Yankees?

Using the trade simulator over at Baseball Trade Values, that trio of prospects has a total median value of of 23.60 (Dominguez – 14.9, Sweeney – 7.8, and Breaux – 0.9).

So could that, alone, get the Yankees one of the premier trade targets on the market?

Luis Castillo’s value, alone, is 41.20, so it’s safe to assume that another piece may be needed in a deal with Cincinnati for their soon-to-be-departed ace.

Add in another prospect like Double-A outfielder Everson Pereira (16.8), the Yankees’ 10th-ranked prospect, and the trade simulator considers that fair for both parties.

Remember, Castillo is controllable through the 2023 season, so not only will competition for his services be stiff, but the added season of team control will only embolden the Reds’ asking price.

This is a fair offer and a steep price.

Another target, Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi, is a high-performing free agent-to-be and thus, won’t carry with him a large price tag beyond maybe one legitimate prospect.

A straight up deal of Benintendi (8.1) for Trey Sweeney (7.8) is a tidy deal that nets the Royals a legit prospect for a productive, departing veteran. The simulator loved it.

If Sweeney were to be shipped to KC for Benintendi straight-up, that could mean that Dominguez, Breaux, and potentially others are being sent off in a separate deal or deals.

Dominguez is still too celebrated a prospect to be sent off for a middle reliever or a two month rental. I would suspect any trade involving a guy very recently drawing comparisons to Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, and Bo Jackson will still carry elite appeal.

Just for fun, what if the Yankees wanted to go big and target Shohei Ohtani?

Just a year and a half away from free agency, the Angels have stated they currently have no plans at this time to deal Ohtani.

At this time. Which was the moment they were speaking in. That time is now long gone.

It’s unlikely, given the narrow and perpetual win-now mantra that Angels owner Arte Moreno enforces, but let’s just say for fun that Moreno changes course and allows GM Perry Minasian to entertain offers for the Angels two-way star who is almost 100% certain to leave via free agency after the 2023 season.

Ohtani is the kind of massive, out-of-nowhere splash the Yankees are thirsty to make. Something that shocks the baseball world, even beyond a Soto deal considering our newfound comfort in his very public, week-old availability.

First, the Angels will not want package of prospects, but very likely a package with established Major Leaguers and some prospects with both pedigree and a timetable closer to the big leagues.

Sending a package headlined by prospects Anthony Volpe (52.6) and Dominguez (14.9) and established Major Leaguers like second baseman Gleyber Torres (14.1), RHP Domingo German (6.8), and LHP Nester Cortes (18.8) creates a trade that both the Angels and the trade simulator love.

It’s difficult to measure Ohtani’s value considering his unique two-way status and the high-level of play he produces in both capacities. In fact, it’s unprecedented. But if the Angels were to flip the script on their long-held love for the status quo, they could much worse than the package above.

All these possibilities are simply that – possibilities. Yankees sources are, thus far, mum on any potential imminent deals and it is quite possible, despite the curious timing, that the organization is simply preserving the health of prospects they know are desirable to other teams.

But that’s why trade season is so fun for us and such an anchor around the neck of those involved in these talks and rumors and scenarios.

We won’t know a thing until we know.