Second-Half Adjustments, Pt.2

By Eddie Castro

In last week’s column, I discussed what Met fans could potentially expect from the team in the second half of the season and who General Manager David Stearns could be targeting come the trade deadline. It’s only right that we do one for the Yankee fans as well. As we go to press, the Yankees are four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East division, and if you watched the first game between the two teams Monday night, the Yankees’ loss had to do with two contributing factors. Pitching and defense.

Those are one of the key upgrades General Manager Brian Cashman has to address if the Yankees plan to make yet another deep playoff run. The team has been decimated with injuries all year long, especially when it comes to pitching. There are many names floating around as to which team the Yankees are able to strike a deal with.

When it comes to upgrades as far as the infield goes, the Yankees are in desperate need of a third baseman. D.J. LeMahieu was simply not getting the job done and simply can’t handle third base at this point in his career. So now you’re left with Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Rivas. Peraza has been inconsistent playing third, and his bat has not shown the potential at the Major League level as it did in Triple-A.

Rivas only has a small sample playing third at the Major League level, but he has had his struggles as well. Obviously, the main name that has been linked to the Yankees is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Suarez is having a career year with Arizona and has been hotter than a fox in a forest fire lately, hitting five home runs in the last three games. However, it’s important to point out whether Suarez can put together seasons like this for years to come.

As much as the Bombers need a third baseman, Suarez would not be an upgrade defensively. Cashman should tread softly when it comes to what prospects he’s willing to give up for the 34-year-old Suarez. He will be a free agent after this season, so essentially the Yankees could be looking at just a two-month rental with Suarez. Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes and Colorado’s Ryan McMahon could also be options for the Yankees at third base.

Pitching has also hurt the Yankees all year long, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. It’s safe to say Cashman will be shopping for help when it comes to strengthening both. Luis Gil is expected to rejoin the team sometime in August, and if he looks close to what he was for the Yankees before the Injury, it would definitely be considered an upgrade. Don’t expect the Yankees to get a top-tier arm at the deadline, as the starting pitching market is not particularly strong at this point.

The team has been linked to pitchers of the likes of Arizona’s Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, Pirates Mitch Keller, and Royals pitcher Seth Lugo. As for bullpen arms, the Yankees are set at closer with Darren Williams and Luke Weaver. However, the team is in need of a few reliable arms that can hold a lead during the game with the ability to turn the ball over to get to a Williams or Weaver in the late innings of a game.

The Yankees would love to acquire a pitcher like the Royals’ Carlos Estevez. With Tim Hill being the lone lefty pitcher in the bullpen for the Yanks, Suarez would be a huge pickup for the team. He, too, is having a career year and in Kansas City, as he currently leads the AL in saves (22). Other options could include the Guardians pitcher Cade Smith, Pirates David Bednar, Nationals Kyle Finnegan, and even free agent pitcher and former Yankee David Robertson. Whatever Cashman decides to do, he must do so in a fast manner.

The Yankees’ offense can only do so much when they actually have hot bats. The inability of Yankees pitchers to hold leads and give up early runs just puts more pressure on the offense to score runs. It should be a very interesting couple of weeks as we see if Cashman can continue to find the right pieces at the trade deadline in hopes of putting together a World Series-contending team.

Sports Notes: (Baseball) The Yankees wrap up a three-game set tonight against the team the are currently chasing in the AL East for first place the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees will then head home to begin a three-game set Tomorrow against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets begin a six-game West Coast trip tomorrow night as they play Rafael Devers and the San Francisco Giants.

Tune in tonight for an All-New episode of Talk Sports With Eddie Podcast. We’ll dig deeper as far as who the Yankees will potentially acquire at the trade deadline, and also, is the current roster of the Knicks enough to finally end a 25-year NBA Finals drought? All that and more tonight at 5:00PM EST on the Our Time Press YouTube channel.