The New York Yankees have the best record in the American League coming off of the All-Star Break and are in a position where they can win their first AL East title since 2012. Not only do the Yankees need to continue to play well as a whole, but there are still some things to look out for that are not just how the team is playing.
Brian Cashman needs to dip into the trade market, and he needs to make a trade for another starting pitcher. There are many pitchers that are currently on the Yankees’ radar, some of which being Marcus Stroman, Madison Bumgarner and Trevor Bauer, but a move needs to be made, and soon. The Yankees are not the only team in the market for starters before the July 31st trade deadline, so Cashman will have to deal with teams such as the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins when trying to trade for another pitcher.
Injuries are still sadly part of the Yankees’ narrative this season. Right-handers Luis Severino and Dellin Betances have not thrown any pitches this season, and Giancarlo Stanton is still on the Injured List.
These players becoming healthy would help the team completely. Of course, this is not saying that the Yankees have been underperforming without them because they surely have not been, but bolstering the starting rotation, bullpen, and lineup with three players would be amazing.
Severino would be an upgrade in the starting rotation, as starter JA Happ has not had the best of seasons. Happ, who the Yankees extended with a two-year contract this past winter, is 7-4 in 17 starts on the year with a 5.02 ERA and a 1.271 WHIP. When Happ pitched with the Yankees in 2018, he went 7-0 in 11 starts with a 2.69 ERA and a 1.052 WHIP. Happ has also doubled the number of home runs he gave up last year this year, going up from 10 to 20. If Severino were to take Happ’s spot in the rotation and pitch at the best of his ability, the Yankees would surely be in a better spot than before.
Dellin Betances had a pretty good year in 2018. Betances had a 2.70 ERA and a 1.050 WHIP last season, walking 26 and striking out 115 in 272 batters faced. His walks went down by 18 last season, as he only walked 26 compared to 2017’s 44. A dominant reliever in Betances would improve the bullpen, as he is a great improvement over relievers such as Stephen Tarpley, who has a 9.64 ERA, or Luis Cessa, who has a 4.54 ERA.
Giancarlo Stanton would be an amazing addition to the Yankees’ lineup. Stanton has had a tough time staying off the Injured List this season, but when he played in his nine games, he has hit .290, has an on-base percentage of .421, a .419 slugging percentage, he has one home run and seven runs batted in. Adding him into the lineup finally as an everyday starter for the rest of this season could put the Yankees over the top.
Hopefully, Cashman can acquire a starter to improve the starting rotation, and key pieces to the Yankees roster can come back from injuries.
Featured Image: Stephen Brashear - Getty Images
