When Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner included James Pazos among the list of untouchable prospects prior to the July 31 trade deadline, it was a surprise to some.

Pazos hadn’t received anywhere near the attention lavished on Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Jorge Mateo, a quintet of youngsters on whom the Yankees are betting their future. Yet Steinbrenner said the 24-year-old lefty reliever was off limits to other teams in trades.

Now, with Justin Wilson dealt to the Tigers for two right-handed pitchers who are ticketed for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pazos is a candidate to replace Wilson in manager Joe Girardi’s bullpen despite not having anywhere near the experience or success Wilson had.

Working in front of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, Wilson went 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA in 74 games, striking out 66 in 61 innings.

“I think he is definitely in the mix, he has a power arm,’’ Girardi said of Pazos, who appeared in 11 September games for the Yankees after a combined 27 appearances at Double-A and Triple-A in which he posted a 1.07 ERA and fanned 49 in 42 2/3 innings. He started the season on Double-A Trenton’s disabled list with a shoulder issue. “He threw a good slider at the end. He is a young man who doesn’t seem to scare. I definitely think he is in the mix.’’

Considering Wilson was going to make in the area of $1.5 million this coming season after being eligible for arbitration for the first time, the Yankees aren’t likely to replace the reliable lefty through free agency, where Neal Cotts and Antonio Bastardo reside after making $3 million and $3.1 million, respectively, last season.

Cotts, who turns 36 in March, appeared in a combined 68 games for the Brewers and Twins. Bastardo, 30, went 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 66 games for the Pirates. Franklin Morales, another possible lefty target, made $1.85 million for the Royals, appearing in 67 games.

Girardi still has lefty Chasen Shreve in the bullpen, but he wasn’t used in as many late-game spots as was Wilson, and it remains to be seen whether Shreve will be asked to precede Betances and Miller, provided the closer isn’t dealt.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Pazos, who turns 25 in May, was taken in the 13th round of the 2012 draft out of the University of San Diego. According to a scout who followed the Yankees’ minor league system, Pazos is one step — albeit a big one — away from being an effective big-league reliever.

“He has the breaking ball to get left-handed batters out, there is a little bit of a question about fastball command,’’ the scout said.

Pazos walked 15 in those 42 2/3 minor-league innings last season, and three free passes in five big-league frames. In four minor-league seasons, Pazos has fanned 196 and walked 68 in 184 1/3 innings.

“His slider is wrapped, which makes it difficult for left-handed hitters’ approach,” the scout added. “If the fastball command improves, he has a good shot.’’

According to the Yankees’ head of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer, area scout Dave Keith and the minor league player development program should be credited with an assist in Pazos’ development.

“Dave knew him and stayed on him, even though since he started and relieved and didn’t always pitch on [the weekend in college], he was hard to see,’’ Oppenheimer said. “That’s an area scout draft and the player development helped. He had a slider, but not like it is now.’’