New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could be busy at this trade deadline.AP

To be a New York Yankees prospect around the trade deadline is akin to being the credits one accumulates and uses for an upgrade — only this time the grand prize is a World Series.

One of their former prospect pitchers, Hayden Wesneski, a reliever for the Chicago Cubs, told The Athletic in a story published Monday that the Yankees’ minor-league players, especially pitchers, are nothing more than an avenue to help their pursuit of a title.

“They’re just gold coins,” said Wesneski, who knows the fate well because he was traded for Scott Effross at the 2022 trade deadline.

“They know who they’re trying to get. They have a lot of the pieces. But you’re waiting for that call.”

Wesneski’s point is a sound one: Even though the Yankees typically pick at the lower end of the draft, they regularly boast strong farm systems because of a sound player-development machine that extends to scouting and data, Wesneski said. Baseball America ranked the Yankees as the No. 9 system in baseball at the start of the season.

Nothing could back up this sentiment better than the Yankees’ offseason trade for Juan Soto in which New York sent homegrown players Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, Drew Thorpe and Kyle Higashioka to San Diego. All five players are in the majors right now with Thorpe now on the Chicago White Sox.

It also helps general manager Brian Cashman on the trade front that the Yankees run among the highest payrolls in baseball. They spend on free agents, essentially “blocking” prospects from swiftly reaching the majors. The organization can take its time with prospects, the latest example this season being Jasson Dominguez (injured list at Triple-A) and Ben Rice, who at 25 is on the precipice of the majors with no clear job unless called up if Anthony Rizzo goes on the injured list.

Owner Hal Steinbrenner acknowledged recently that the payroll will need to be lower than the $300 million this season, which means younger players earning major-league jobs … and potentially limiting the pool of tradeable ready-made prospects by July 30.

The Yankees have been linked to White Sox lefty ace Garret Crochet, who has two more years left of arbitration. A trade would seemingly be a longshot possibility except for the fact the Yankees have potential major-league starters in the upper minors such as Will Warren, Clayton Beeter and Chase Hampton, who is dealing with an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in Double-A. That is to say nothing of position players who are also close.