When Brian Cashman has had what he views as a high-end contender, the Yankees GM has usually traded aggressively at the deadline.
I expect that over the next week. I suspect the least Cashman’s group will add in the next week is one reliever and one bat, and if it were two of each I would not be surprised. I think in this tight market it will be difficult to add impact and they could be looking at more like walk-year complementary players such as Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe (who has a 2025 club option) and Amed Rosario and perhaps invest more for a potentially difference-making reliever such as Miami’s Tanner Scott.
But even if there is greater impact, Cashman cannot solve all of the Yankees problems before 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Some of this — maybe most of this — will have to be solved internally. For the first 2 ¹/₂ months of this season, that was the case as the Yankees soared to an MLB-best 50-22 record.
The starters banded brilliantly to temper the loss of the seemingly indispensable Gerrit Cole and the lineup chorus performed capably around Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo delivered at a level to earn the leadoff and cleanup spots, respectively.
In the last month, the Yankees have too often been a top-heavy mess. Volpe and Verdugo particularly cratered and the first and fourth spots in the order now feel like a reality show with anybody capable of landing in those slots. In the Subway Series opener Tuesday night, it was Jahmai Jones and J.D. Davis, who you might have forgotten were even on the roster.
It is why Monday’s 9-1 rout of the Rays was at least somewhat encouraging. For the first time since June 23, a Yankees starter (Carlos Rodon) completed seven innings. In the first three games of the second half against Tampa Bay, the Yankees did not score in an inning in which Soto and/or Judge were not instrumental. On Monday, cleanup-hitting Austin Wells, whose at-bats have been strong through most of the Yankees’ doldrums, led off the second inning with a homer and Volpe, who has had positive results so far in the second half, followed with a homer. Even DJ LeMahieu hit his first homer.
Of course, Soto completed the assault with two homers of his own, but the Yanks were leading 5-1 by then.
Now was that a blip or an indicator of the rotation reviving and the complementary players being more than non-useful bystanders?
Because the lineup has so many overtones to 2022. The Yankees were second that season in runs per game at 4.98, but it was deceiving. So much of it was based on Judge’s historic run, especially in the second half when his slash line was .349/.502/.784 and the rest of the lineup was .223/.292/.360. Thus, when the Astros unplugged Judge in the ALCS, they also shut off the Yankees.
Going into Tuesday, the Yankees were again averaging 4.98 runs per game, tied with the Orioles for the best in MLB. But again, there was a length problem. Soto and Judge had combined for a .311/.435/.635 slash line while the rest of the team was .231/.300/.373. And the situation was particularly disparate against lefties with Soto/Judge at .310/.465/.609 and the others at .213/.286/.311 (thanks to Eric Nehs of MLB Network research).
“It is a good question, but there is nothing in my head for a singular reason why we have struggled against lefties,” hitting coach James Rowson said.
Luis Severino was right when he jabbed the Yankees’ offense last week as a two-man team. It also is why Severino was not lined up to start in the series and lefties Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea were. Until the Yankees do something about this, they should expect to see as many lefties as opponents have. Perhaps the return of Giancarlo Stanton, who has been hitting on the field and doing agility work, will help, but he is still not imminent and his OPS versus lefties was just .670. Aaron Boone mentioned switch-hitter Jasson Dominguez (oblique) as likely to return to Triple-A action by the end of the week and be a consideration.
The Yankees pretty much must find a righty complement for Verdugo (.196 batting average .556 OPS versus lefties) whether it is Dominguez or comes from the outside. This is just another area Gleyber Torres (.208 vs. lefties) and LeMahieu (.118) were hurting the Yankees.
Like 2022, the Yankees may get into the playoffs with so much of their lineup missing in action. But it is hard to see them surviving rounds. So, yes, Cashman has to find some help — at least quality supplementary health in the next week — but mostly this has to come from the secondary group that has been so disappointing so far.
