The Yankees, after all the hoopla, have added two bats and some pretty good defense to their lineup. But that’s all there is – is it enough?
The Yankees, almost unbelievably, given the team they had on paper in April, are still mired second to last in runs scored in the American League in runs scored.
To combat that, if the Yankees stood a chance to score a Wild Card spot in this year’s playoffs, Brian Cashman had to recover his once heralded but now questioned trade skills.
Cashman swung and missed on acquiring a proven major league starting pitcher, perhaps hoping that Corey Kluber and Luis Severino will complete their rehab assignments successfully and be ready for October.
Still, he did get at least an extra-base hit by adding Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees lineup.
The names are familiar to everyone, and they follow in the Yankees tradition of acquiring All-Star players who immediately are a magnet for fans and ticket sales.
Yankees: Is It Enough…
But is it enough to carry this team to the promised land, which for this year can only be defined as the opportunity to be in a one-game shootout to move forward in the playoffs as a Wild Card team?
While Joey Gallo is tied to the team for the full 2022 season before becoming a free agent, Rizzo is a rental, and both Cubs fans and Rizzo himself rue his departure from Chicago.
Thus, the Yankees likely will have zero chances to sign Rizzo when he becomes a free agent following this year’s World Series, and he will return to the Cubs as part of a “whisper in his ear” this ain’t permanent deal with Rizzo.
Nevertheless, Gallo and Rizzo are in the Bronx to help reawaken a feeble offense, with Gallo peppering the short porch at Yankee Stadium and Rizzo buckling down to his job as a professional ballplayer to do what he can to add run production to the Yankees’ lineup.
The Yankees Will Go With What They’ve Got
With waiver deals after the deadline outlawed in 2019 by MLB, the question remains for the Yankees that even if they score more runs, will their pitching hold up to carry them through the regular season and beyond.
Gerrit Cole has been especially disappointing in his last two starts in crucial games against the Red Sox last weekend, and more recently, yesterday when the Yankees had a chance to sweep Tampa Bay in their home ballpark.
His performances as the Yankees ace should send shudders down the spine of Yankees fans, as well as his teammates, who see Cole as their ace in the hole in the one-game playoff and beyond.
Call it a hiccup or maybe not, but as of today, the Yankees have the same 40-man roster of pitchers they had yesterday, and that was not supposed to be part of the plan Cashman has assigned himself to complete at the trade deadline.
Whether we like it or not, Cashman did manipulate payroll enough to satisfy the demand of Hal Steinbrenner to stay under this year’s $210 million cap before the luxury tax kicks in.
And, he did it by surrendering almost nothing from the Yankees’ farm system, a notable achievement from past sins when the likes of James Kaprielian, Justus Sheffield, and Michael Pineda were cut from the team, prematurely, some would say.
Yankees Fans: Satisfied or Not?
With all that and the hoopla behind us now, in retrospect, should we see the Yankees as a better team than they were yesterday?
I say yes, but only if the Yankees and Cashman are already planning on unloading the contract of Giancarlo Stanton.
Look to when the owners and players agree to the universal DH, and fifteen NL teams are added (think Dodgers) to extend a welcoming mat for his “services.”
Luke Voit and Clint Frazier can and should be added in the same way to the Yankees’ 2022 offseason strategy, getting what they can in return, and the rest can concentrate on one of the remaining free agent shortstops (Trevor Story) that completes the move of Gleyber Torres to second and DJ LeMahieu to first.
Overall, I’d rate the Yankees’ moves at the deadline as “incomplete” but with an “A” for effort.
They filled a couple of immediate needs with two quality players but left open fulfilling the overall plan to another time.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Derek Waltz I would have liked to have gotten Story. But what can ya do
Sonya Mittelman yes and also at the smug looks being wiped off the faces of those who predicted they’d be sellers
Paul Ruiz No. More pitching, please. Dan Misluk Paul Ruiz We Have some in Scranton watch at the roster expansion Careful on that…it’s not like it was…rosters are now limited to only 28 now.
Hector Alicea No it’s not enough the Yankees need more pitching to match the Dodgers in a World Series..
Michael Angot guess yanks waiting for the return of Kluber and Severino
John O’Sh Is that a rhetorical question? Most Yankees fans are only satisfied by winning the World Series. Getting to or through the ALDS or ALCS only gave hope for the near future.
Stuart Ferber 100%
James Eric Knowles They also added a starting pitcher with a great arm that can go relatively deep into games, that if Kluber and Sevy come back and perform can be transitioned to the bullpen as a multi-inning power lefty reliever. So basically a left-handed Green and Loaisiga. Presumably, James is referring to Andrew Heaney acquired from the Angels.
Stu Cohen They added 2 pitchers with ERA’s of 5.2 and 5.9. Mike Bove yeah but they pitched for pirates and angels to bad teams
Susan Abbott I appreciate the effort but still disgusted at the lifeless talent eroding on our team.
Anthony Paul Rock Hi my name is pitching I don’t need 5 eras I need beasts I could be a 2 or possible a really good 3 what’s that Yankees you prefer hrs and strikeouts ok cool maybe another time
Closing Published Comments And Final Thoughts
Approaching page length restrictions, this closes published comments.
The comments speak for themselves – fans are mostly in – but we still need pitching.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
