Last night, the New York Yankees had a golden opportunity presented to them. Down seven games in the division against the Red Sox, they held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth with a chance to cut it to six.
Cutting it to six with Gerrit Cole pitching today means you were looking at a real possibility that the Yankees could be down only five games going into Saturday. However, Chad Green imploded and blew the lead in the ninth.
In extras, Brooks Kriske was historically bad and the Yankees lost 5-4 in ten. Another devastating loss in an extremely winnable game. This is the fourth time this season that the Yankees have lost after winning by multiple runs in the ninth inning.
Right when you think this team is building momentum, they find a way to rip your heart out. Now, as mentioned, they have a good chance to bounce back with the ace on the mound today. There is truly no excuse for the Yankees to lose a Gerrit Cole – Eduardo Rodriguez game to Boston.
If they lose?
In my opinion, tonight will be the night where we find out what the Yankees will do at the deadline. If they do not win this game tonight, I truly believe that will be the nail in the coffin in terms of the team being big buyers.
At that point, the team would be nine games out of the AL East and five games out of the Wild Card. This team needs to send Brian Cashman a signal that there’s life and if they lose tonight, the Yankees won’t give off the image of a team with life.
What if the Yankees win?
However, let’s say the Yankees go out there and win tonight like they should. Well, you’re still down seven in the division and possibly four in the Wild Card. You’re not going to be favored in either of the games against Boston over the weekend.
Of course you want to win the series, but realistically, the Yankees wanted to at least split the series. They were in prime position to have that done at a minimum through two games.
At this point, Brian Cashman isn’t inclined to go out there and spend in prospect capitol to make a big move. The team isn’t doing a good enough job of making him truly believe that they are a World Series caliber club.
Yes, they’ve won a few series in a row and yes they are missing a ton of pieces right now. However, that last statement is why you might not see Brian Cashman do anything regardless of what the Yankees do between now and the deadline.
In 2019, Cashman said that the prices were too high. Getting Betances and Severino back was better than any trade they could’ve made per Cashman. Well, If the Yankees are still contender a week from now, Cashman can point to getting Judge, Voit, Urshela, Severino, and Kluber back.
What the Yankees should do
In my opinion, the Yankees should make a move that benefits them not just for the rest of this year, but for next year as well. There has been talk with Colorado about Trevor Story, but in speaking with MLB folks in Colorado, the odds of a deal coming together are slim.
Story is a free agent after this season and it’s not a guarantee that the Yankees would want to dish out a big deal for him. So if not Story, who should the Yankees target? I still love the idea of going out and getting Joey Gallo.
Gallo provides much needed pop from the left side and he’s controlled through 2022 as well. Gallo is a move they can make that benefits both this year and next year. Another guy I would love to see the Yankees get is Adam Frazier.
Frazier is cut from the same cloth as a DJ LeMahieu. Low strikeouts with a lot of contact and he swings it from the left side. Frazier would be a great addition for the Yankees and again, he’s controlled through next season.
Call Kansas City Now
My other picks would be Andrew Benintendi and/or Whit Merrifield. I’m from Kansas City and I know a lot of people in the Royals scene. Dayton Moore is not inclined to sell Merrifield or Benintendi despite the fact that the Royals are in last place.
However, if the Yankees could put together a good enough package, maybe he’d do it. If you could somehow get both of them, that would be a huge deal. Benintendi is proven in the East and Merrifield gives the Yankees another LeMahieu type player.
There are a ton of options for Brian Cashman. I do not think they should sit back and do nothing, however, from what I’m hearing, that’s more likely than seeing them make a big splash. For my sake and the sake of Yankee fans, I hope I’m wrong.