What Yankees should do with struggling former first-round pick

The New York Yankees have a problem beyond their last-place standing in the American League East. Over the weekend, another poor performance by outfielder Aaron Hicks—their least valuable player—doomed the team in an important series against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.

New York (18-17) lost two of three to the Rays, with each game determined by one run. In eight crucial at-bats, Hicks had one hit and stranded nine runners. Additionally, he botched a ghost runner opportunity in extra innings, ultimately costing the Yankees the third game, 8-7. 

To his credit, Hicks had an extra-base hit Sunday—his first in 222 days— but that doesn't make up for his slash line of .143/.213/.161 that is among the worst in the majors among players with at least 55 plate appearances. 

Besides his abysmal average, Hicks has struck out 15 times and stranded 27 runners in only 61 plate appearances. He has an atrocious WAR of -0.8, tied for second to last for worst in MLB. (WAR measures a player's total value in comparison to a replacement player.) 

At 33 years old and in the fifth of a seven-year, $70 million contract, Hicks—a first-round pick by Minnesota in the 2008 MLB Draft—may be the worst player in baseball. 

The Yankees need to cut their losses with Hicks, but the outfielder has little trade value. The only option New York has is to package him with a decent player and pay Hicks' salary for someone to take him on.

The Miami Marlins could be a good suitor, but a trade with the struggling Cardinals for outfielder Tyler O'Neill makes the most sense. A deal of right-hander Clarke Schmidt (0-3, 5.83 ERA) and Hicks for O'Neill and left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore could work for both teams. 

With reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge coming off the injured list soon and outfielder Harrison Bader back in the lineup, there is no reason to keep paying Hicks to lose games for the Yankees. Ultimately, New York GM Brian Cashman must be held accountable for paying the worst player in baseball $10.7 million this season.