The Yankees are stuck in a tricky spot and still haven’t decided how to approach next week’s trade deadline, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He says that the club’s decision makers are staying “in trade limbo” until the next few days play out, but will target an outfielder and a reliever if they don’t fall too far back. Even if they do have a disappointing week, it doesn’t seem as though selling is on the table, with Yanks simply sticking to modest moves in that instance.
The club currently has a record of 53-48, which places them last in the deadly AL East but still just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. The playoff odds at FanGraphs give them a 31.7% chance of getting into the postseason, while Baseball Prospectus is slightly more optimistic at 42.6%. They are one of several clubs in an awkward spot where they’re not completely buried but not in such a strong position that aggressive buying is the obvious move.
A major wild card here is the health of Aaron Judge, who has been on the injured list since June 4 due to a right great toe sprain. The Yankees were 35-25 after his last appearance but have since gone 18-23 to land at their current record. Aaron Boone said yesterday that it’s possible Judge could return without a rehab assignment, with an activation for this weekend’s series against the Orioles not totally off the table, with Chris Kirschner of The Athletic among those to relay the news (Twitter links). It was reported today by Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the club is planning to activate Judge on Friday, though Boone quickly pushed back on that. He said that he “wouldn’t rule it out,” per Kirschner, but that they’re taking it one day at a time.
Having Judge back in the lineup would obviously be a tremendous help to the club’s chances. Before going on the injured list, he was having a season a bit below his MVP campaign from last year, but only slightly. His .291/.404/.674 batting line so far this year amounts to a wRC+ of 187, a bit of a drop from his 207 wRC+ last year but still one of the best lines in the majors.
Even if Judge returns to the Yankees shortly, they would likely still be open to outfield upgrades. Judge might need to see some time in the designated hitter slot as he returns from injury, and there are plenty of other question marks around the rest of the club’s outfielders. Harrison Bader has dealt with many injuries in his career and recently missed some time with a rib contusion. Jake Bauers and Greg Allen each just returned from their own IL stints. Giancarlo Stanton has played the field a bit this year but is still primarily a DH. Billy McKinney has been healthy and productive lately but in a small sample after many years of struggles.
With that uncertainty, the club has already been reported to be in the market for outfield help, connected to Dylan Carlson of the Cardinals and Randal Grichuk of the Rockies. Heyman lists some speculative fits for their pursuit, including those two, as well as Cody Bellinger and Tyler O’Neill. There’s nothing to suggest the Yanks have actively pursued those latter two names and it’s not even clear either of them are available. Like the Yankees, the Cubs are reportedly still deciding on their deadline approach, which could take Bellinger off the table, while the Cardinals are apparently leaning towards holding onto O’Neill.
The bullpen is actually a strength for the Yankees, as their relievers have a collective 3.23 ERA that leads the majors, well ahead of the second-place Guardians who are at 3.52. But just about every contender can add another arm to their relief mix at this time of year, bumping other pitchers down one spot in the pecking order. Some of the relievers thought to be available include Scott Barlow, David Robertson, Joe Kelly and many more.
Heyman also adds that the club, like almost all the rest, have checked in on two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. But like the Cubs and Yankees, the Angels find themselves in the mushy middle ground, currently just 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. Though they are listening to offers, it still doesn’t appear likely that Ohtani will be traded.
The Yankees’ decision makers are undoubtedly engaging in multiple conversations with rival clubs, as the August 1 deadline is now less than a week away. Their level of aggression is seemingly still to be decided, with the health of Judge and the on-field results likely to weigh heavily in their calculus. They’re scheduled to play the Mets tonight before an off-day on Thursday, then head to Baltimore for the weekend before hosting the Rays for a series that starts on Monday.
Yanks have nothing worthwhile to trade.
Big problem.
They can take money, but other than that, under .500 by end of year.
I said here two months ago yanks would be last in East. I was laughed at.
Judge Cole and nobody , terrible roster.
Almost as bad as the teams pre George
Free Aaron Judge.
No World Series appearances for 14 years.
Rays, Jays, Sox, and now Orioles stronger.
Mediocre farm system.
Just wanted to provide the Yankees fans some truth nuggets they love to spew to the rest of us.
NO troll, their farm system is ranked about middle of the pack regardless of what ranking you look at ……and that system consistently produces major league ball players as evidenced by rosters around the league….do us all a favor and do your homework before opening your mouth…they just don’t really have those impact type of players that other systems do…..
So…you’re saying their system is mediocre?
“their farm system is ranked about middle of the pack”
Except Fangraph has them at 27th. With only one player having a 50 FV (Dominguez).
fangraphs.com/prospects/farm-system-rankings
It’s just too easy.
Using Fangraphs for prospect rankings is like asking a diabetic for health advice
Because we have to keep strict diets, constantly measure our levels and are reliant on injections to keep our body from shutting down? I’d suggest that I have a pretty good knowledge about health and I have no control of my pancreas not working like yours.
I thought it was obvious that I was referring to slobs with type 2 diabetes. I’ll use gout instead next time to spare your fragile ego
If Judge comes back strong, I can’t imagine they’ll be under .500 by the end of the year. They’re like a .600 ballclub with him in the lineup.
Nope.
I remember the teams after 1964. The Yankees just got old in a hurry, and they did not know to work in the new draft format in those days. Plus, the front office did not have a clue what to do as the team was owned by CBS.
My Pirates would gladly have that 53-48 record…
I also said when your pirates were in first , they’d be last in the central.
Bad rosters , can’t keep up the mirrors over 162 let alone 100.
Yanks will lose over 81 this year. Book it
Yeah, Pirates roster is just bench guys, or league average players, they always crash at some point.
Ah, exactly how much do you want to bet and how do reach you to collect when you lose…loser?
???
I’ve predicted every playoff team and World Series winner for the last 20 years. I don’t gamble because I prefer to post my correct predictions on comment boards. I find they have the best long term return vs gambling.
Should be able to get something decent for Bader. Problem with everyone else is they’re either underperfoming, injured, not rentals or some combination thereof.
They could trade Gleyber and some relief pitchers as well although not rentals. Build the farm up then make trades and signings in the off-season to build a formidable team in 2024.
They’d probably rather keep Gleyber to try again in 2024.
Yankees trade their spot in the AL East with the Royals and suddenly are in first place
And if the other AL east teams also traded their spot with KC , the Tanks would still be in last place. Gee
No. KC would be.
Please, SELL!!! We have a chance next year if they don’t squander the farm on rentals.
Any trades should be focused on 2024. That doesn’t mean it won’t help them this year, but they need to rebalance some assets and focused longer term.
That’s something Cashman would say after the deadline when they get someone which doesn’t move the needle. It’s the right plan.
@LordD99 I was thinking the same thing. Maybe consider trade for a few younger players with at least 3 years of control. I think the Pirates could trade off Jack Suwinksi this year as his value will probably be never as high as it is now (and that’s not saying a whole lot). Throw a few prospects towards Pittsburgh and land Suwinski as a fall back options to Stanton, Judge, Bader, and others who seems to find time on the injury list. Granted Suwinski is a hit or miss at the plate like ex O’s hitter Chris Davis. Jack has a chance to hit 25-40 hrs per year. The Pittsburgh hitting coach is incapable of helping Jack lower his strikeout numbers. Maybe Yanks can benefit from Pittsburghs mishaps for a change.
Don’t believe that stuff about “O’Neill being off the market.” The Cardinals will trade him if they get a fair offer.
Of course, the Cardinals’ version of *fair* might be different than other orgs.
Tyler O’Neill sucks. Anything more than a AA Closer is an overpay
Absolutely.! the Cardinal Hype machine is in full gear!
The fans are smarter than the jaggoffs making millions each year running this team.
There are two approaches to building a championship team in MLB.
Instinct and Analytics. Instinct is much more of a gamble because you are relying on expertise of visualizing whether players will maximize and utilize their potential on a specific team in a specific point in time.
Analytics is taking the Instincts out of the equation and relying on math. Those who are not baseball minded people turn to math as a formula to create a winning team. They believe that their numbers will produce results. Their colossal failure is forgetting that baseball is human driven and not machine driven.
Cashman has never been a baseball guy. He’s always been an accountant style executive who has carried the perverbial monkey on his back of not being able to build a winning club from the ground up. Thanks it part to inheriting a dynasty built by others and a wide checkbook with a demanding owner.
He has never been able to prove that he could do it and has always been criticized for buying players. With this new generation of Steinbrenner owning the team both the gm and the owner are in agreeance that they should be able to build a championship team through analytics, a farm system that produces big league talent, limited financial commitments, and a limp into the playoff approach.
Well they are horrible with producing major league talent, horrendous are trade acquisitions, and think they can absorb bloated backend contracts of aging or injury prone players.
This team won’t sniff the alds left alone the world series this year. Why in the world would you sell prospects for rentals? He did this last year and it was a joke.
I haven’t watched a single Yankees game for 2 years now and refuse to until Hal Steinbrenner sells the team or fires Brian Cashman. I suggest the only way a change occurs is when the fans revolt.
Sounds like you have some personal problems
He’s just Being Endar Malkovich.
Maybe he can find a way to be Les Miserable about the Yankees.
Sounds like you ought to play in traffic.
Stevie Winwood and Dave Mason played in Traffic.
I’d be in good company!
Sounds personal to me.
Those who are not baseball minded people turn to math as a formula to create a winning team.
==========================
What? That’s ridiculous. Everyone in baseball is baseball minded. It is why they got into it. You think a physics major from MIT will take a minimum-wage job in the MLB if they didn’t love baseball?
Johnson was born in Orlando, Florida. He graduated from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio, Texas. He also attended the Johns Hopkins University and Texas A&M University, and he graduated from Trinity University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Johnson is known for taking a statistical approach to baseball that started with his playing career, where he earned the nickname “Dum Dum” for attempts at telling his pitching teammates to throw for the middle of the plate instead of the corner; he made computer printouts to present to manager Earl Weaver to supposedly optimize the lineup, although they weren’t used. Upon being a manager, he pioneered computer-based sabermetrics while managing the Mets.
Are you a special kind of stupid? Do you not understand what that meant? If I have to explain it to you then you’re dumber than I thought.
I have no particular use for Cashman, but he’s played BB his entire life, including college ball. It’s not like he doesn’t know the game.
And of course numbers produce results. You think GMs simply sign players without thinking about whether or not the .200 average will play in the majors? Or the college guy with the 85 mph FB is a 1st rounder? Nothing personal, but it feels like that post was an epic fail.
No their not horrible at producing major league talent….take a look around the league before opening your mouth…..they just haven’t produced that Impact Player on their major league roster since the Core 4…….maybe you should watch a game before commenting…….you think?
The Yankees success at evaluating players died when Stick passed away
Great post, and my thoughts exactly. I haven’t watched an entire game since about 2012 though, and I am still irate about the absolutely unforgivable choke job in 2004 to Boston, being the only team ever to blow a 3-0 lead. I feel like 2009 was more of an outlier. The greatness died on that fateful night in Arizona, in 2001, when the team with the better record did NOT get Game 7 at home. Nothing has ever been the same since.
You might add that Hal is not a baseball person. He’s running a dog and pony show to bring in the dollars. He has no desire to win a WC, but will hold up the fact the Yankees were in the playoffs even as easy that is this age of mediocre teams. So, the Yankees are managed by analytics to the point the front office makes out the lineup, and when a player is hot you sit him down so the analytic dept can catch up.
Sell.
The tough spot is there is nothing to buy and they have nothing to sell. Cashman literally has them backed into a corner
Good point….they have very little they can sell and get a good return on if any…….Jason D in the minors may get back somebody pretty good, but then again should they sell their future for what looks to be another failed attempt at getting to the WS?
Is it deadline or flatline approach with this team?
Does it even matter? They have boxed themselves so far in that they have nothing of significance to sell and don’t have the resources to buy.
I’m just wondering how far the Yankees have to slide before Hal is forced to make the self imposed dreaded decision to move on from Cashman. Maybe the Yankees can string another year together like this one in 2024 and be a bubble team but come 2025 it’s going to be really bad in the Bronx.
At some point, they need to adjust their mantra of “making the playoffs” as their real goal and switch to a more realistic goal of getting to the WS or else somebody goes when they fail….here that Cash and Boone?
yanks4life22, the Yankees problem is HAL STEINBRENNER. More than even Cashman. He should’ve sold the New York Yankees many years ago to someone who has a passion for winning. Hal, clearly does not. He doesn’t mind losing. As his awesome father, George, famously said, “if you show me a good loser, I’ll show you a loser”.
2.5 games out of a WC spot should speak volumes
Don’t take the bait, Yankees. This isn’t a roster in its prime, with a couple of holes that, if you fixed, could be worth 3-4 wins. It’s a weak, injured, poorly constructed roster. If you don’t care about money and can see a intermediate or longer term asset that you can buy for money and some lower end talent, maybe. But 31% or 42% odds of making the playoffs overstate your chances, and if you get there, you are gonna get bounced. This just isn’t the year,
what do they have to sell? what can they use to buy? unless judge, stanton and the entire rotation magically get/stay healthy and achieve their ceilings they’re screwed this season, and unless hal turns into cohen they’re screwed moving forward. total mess
Pretty much sums it up
I would add Bellinger and/or Barlow/Robertson.
Give up anyone other than Peraza. Sign Cody’s kid 4/$80 if he plays well.
They looked like the Yanks of the last ten years (except the year they sold) last night. Bloated, underperforming and not entertaining.
Relax, the Yanks will be adding as they always do at the deadline. Let’s see how they do when Judge comes back,, Rodon starts pitching along with Nasty Nestor. The East is the best division in the game. I can see the Yanks adding Bellinger, and a top relief pitcher., and moving ahead of the Jays, Astros, and Sox. It’s not all that crazy. Heck I could see them standing pat a with Judge still making the playoffs.
i’ll have what you’re having
Me too
Spencer Jones can buy them at least 2 good starters…..and then some relief.
Spare parts available in Detroit!
Why put a picture of Judge up. They are certainly not trading him
I think if the O’s don’t give the Tigers what they want….give the Yankees a good deal…..Lorenzen and ERod could.be.striking.out Orioles by.the end of.the week…..Or…..
Or….
Or…striking out….Yankees!
I’m a Yankees fan and I’m convinced that ownerships “just do enough to keep fans interested” mentality will be the approach they take.
Isn’t that always the way it is for the Yankees these days!
Haha. how much more of this debacle do they need to see. But I guess it’s OK, no hurry there’s plenty of time to make a decision and improve improve things.Good grief. Steinbrenner probably counting his pocket change to see how much he has to spend.
They are 2.5 games out of the postseason. They need to be buying and buying big. You only have so many years of peak Cole and Judge left. Wasting it by selling would be worse than gutting the farm system for players that don’t work out.
They are falling well short of expectations but it’s not like they are the Mets you know?. They need to upgrade LF, 3B and the bullpen at bare minimum. Getting another starter would be very helpful but not necessary.
Judge won’t be peak this year. I’m skeptical he can even play everyday after he returns and will need to rest his toe occasionally.
Even if that is the case, Judge playing 3-4 times a week is better any combo of Bauers, McKinney, Calhoun, Allen that they can put out there.
They could turn it around, if the right moves are made by cashman at the trading line. But they would have to be willing to spend money, which is questionable. Besides I do not trust cashman to make the moves necessary. He’ll do what he always does, say things did not lineup, and pick up a few relief pitchers, which will not be enough to salvage the season.
Turn out the lights. The party’s over.
Let’s all take a moment to LOL at the Yankees
They are stuck in limbo. Too much money on the payroll to add the (many) players they need and too few quality players to make a run. Throw in a mid range farm system with no one expected to make an immediate impact and it’s not good. So many bad moves over the years. Tough to watch.
The Yankees will pull a rabbit out of a hat, trade for an aging big name and make the postseason.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they get back someone like Verlander, even if it takes two mediocre prospects to do so.
They’re the Yankees. They trade big in desperate times.
“Verlander EVEN IF it takes two mediocre prospects”
2 mediocre prospects for Verlander at the trading deadline. Hes got pedigree and is pitching excellent. Sure, that will work.
‘GMing is easy, I do it in Strat-O-Matic all the time.’
Judges 187 Wrc+ would literally lead the entire MLB. I feel like his season is being downplayed a bit here.
I don’t think anyone is. He’s hurt and hasn’t played. Ohtani is right behind him at 185 and hands-down MVP with his pitching.
Trade Torres to The mariners for kirby kids from NY. Then rockies for profar, suter & or bard. Get grandal from the sox. Yanks have enough depth to cover infield.
I mean I’m a yanks fan and I’d love to have Kirby but no way are the Ms trading him for gleyber straight up.
Don’t Buy. Sell and try to move any older players even in last year of contract. Write this season off and replace GM & Manager. Let’s start fresh. There is no Billy Martin to turn this season around.